Singapore Open 2022 Final, PV Sindhu beats Wang Zhi Yi 21-9, 11-21, 21-15 to win the title

Singapore, July 17: India shuttler PV Sindhu continued her good form and won her third title of the year after defeating China's Wang Zhi Yi 21-9, 11-21, 21-15 in the Singapore Open 2022 final here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang on Sunday (July 17). Sindhu continued her clean slate over the Chinese as she prevailed over in the second match between the two.

The two-time Olympic medallist - who was playing her first Super Series 500 final of the season - defeated the Chinese in the match which lasted for 58 minutes. The Hyderabadi shuttler - who had registered a comfortable victory in the semifinal when she brushed aside Japan's Saene Kawakami in the last-four contest - showed great composure and class as she came back strongly in the third and deciding game to win the contest.

The win in Singapore bodes well for the Indian star for this win is going to give her a massive boost ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Sindhu takes Game 1:

The Indian shuttler won the first game quite comfortably and her Chinese counterpart was only looking to do the catch-up act. Sindhu was no match to her opponent and won in an emphatic fashion within 15 minutes. The Hyderabadi shuttler took a huge 9-point lead in the first game at the time of the change of courts.

At the halfway stage, Sindhu led 11-2. She went on to convert the good start and won the first game 21-9 as Wang Zhi Yi looked shaky. The Chinese committed too many errors in the first game as the pressure of playing a big final and against a stronger opponent got the better of her.

Zhi Yi equalises in Game 2:

The Chinese, however, looked a completely different player from the word go in game two. Wang played aggressively and also forced the Indian to commit unforced errors and at the halfway stage she took a huge eight-point lead as the scoreline read 11-3 in her favour.

Sindhu looked like a mere shadow of herself throughout game two as she kept committing mistakes and the Chinese shuttler's lead continued to swell. The Chinese played some brilliant cross-court smashes and mostly kept the service to herself and eventually equalised by winning it 21-11.

Sindhu shows her class in decider:

The Indian shuttler - who is known for her aggressive play - brought her A-Game in the third and started picking up points from the start. Once Sindhu showed her aggressive play the Chinese looked unsettled. The long rallies also came in Sindhu's favour as he managed to win three long rallies while Wang won just one. At the halfway stage, Sindhu took a healthy five-point advantage when the scoreline read 11-6 in the Indian's favour.

In the second half, however, Wang picked up early points and tried to bridge the deficit but Sindhu had perhaps kept her best for the last round and took the game 21-15 to win her first Super500 tournament of the year 2022.

Sindhu won the semis in style:

Earlier on Saturday (July 16), Sindhu registered a dominant 21-15, 21-7 win against her Japanese opponent in a contest that lasted only 32 minutes and stormed into the final. With the win on Saturday, Sindhu maintained her clean slate over Kawakami, holding a 3-0 record over the Japanese shuttler. Zhi Yi entered the finals after defeating compatriot Aya Ohori 21-14, 21-14 in the other semifinal.

Earlier, Sindhu had fought hard in the quarterfinal against Han Yue of China to enter the last four. The third-seeded Indian shuttler brushed aside her opponent in the semifinal, to put herself in contention for her season's first Super Series 500 title. The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist the only Indian left in the fray.

Sindhu has faced Wang just once before on the court when she defeated Wang in a one-sided encounter in the All England Badminton Championship. Although she holds a 100% record against Wang, the Indian shuttler will have her task cut out against the Asian champion, who has come up the ranks quickly.

Here are the highlights from the match: