Singapore Open: PV Sindhu beats Wang Zhi Yi to win her maiden Singapore Open title

PV Sindhu managed to maintain her composure at the crucial moments of the mistake-filled match against her 22-year-old Chinese opponent. She went into the final with a win-loss record of 1-0 against Wang Zhi Yi, with Sindhu winning at their previous meeting at the All England Championships earlier this year.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu lost two points early in the opening game while playing against the wind after Wang Zhi Yi won the toss. She soon discovered her rhythm to limit the errors and fired several angled winners to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the opening game. She won 11 consecutive points to get an 11-2 advantage going into the break as the wind sent shots fired by her Chinese opponent long and wide.

PV Sindhu carried on with her winning momentum to clinch a one-game advantage. However, the change of sides in the second game allowed Wang Zhi Yi to dominate the Indian, who lost her rhythm playing in the direction of the wind. The Chinese setter dominated the second game, racing to an 11-3 lead going into the break. PV Sindhu tried to pull off a reversal after the break but failed to take advantage of her opponent's unforced errors. The reigning Asian Championship gold medallist Wang Zhi Yi sent the match into a decider with a powerful smash on her second attempt at the match point.

The third game saw both players engaging in several long rallies and exchanging points to level the score at 5-5. Former world champion PV Sindhu fired a power smash to finish a long rally to move ahead. She took firm control of the court to go into the break with an 11-6 lead after firing an excellent cross-court smash from her forehand.

Wang Zhi Yi roared back after the break and narrowed the deficit to 12-11, owing to several unforced errors by PV Sindhu. However, the 27-year-old Indian did not flinch and regained her lead despite several superb drop shots from her opponent. She got an 18-4 lead while Wang Zhi Yi fired the shuttle into the net, following which PV Sindhu dragged the Chinese shuttler into a long rally and clinched five match points to secure her victory at the Super 500 event.

It was the third trophy of the year for PV Sindhu, after previously winning the titles at the Swiss Open and Syed Modi International. She is set to spearhead India's charge for a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, set to start on July 28.