Praneeth beats Srikanth to win Singapore Open title

TIL Desk Sports/ Promising Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth clinched his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open after defeating compatriot K Srikanth in a historic all-Indian final in Singapore, on Sunday. World No.30 Praneeth, who had won the Canada Open Grand Prix last year and reached the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final this year, outmaneuvered Srikanth 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in the summit clash of the US$ 350,000 event.

“It’s always difficult to play someone with whom you play everyday. I am very happy to win today. The way I played in the tournament, I’m very happy. The support here for the Indians has also been very nice,” an overwhelmed Praneeth said after the 54-minute clash. It was the first time in the history of international badminton that two Indians were playing a Super Series final and it turned out to be a thrilling contest.

The two trainees of the Gopichand Academy exploited every chink that they were aware of in each other’s game. In the first game, Srikanth played some angled shots to set up his points and then used his accurate smashes to seal them. He gathered many points on Praneeth’s forehand with his brilliant returns.