Superstar P V Sindhu and young gun Lakshya Sen lived up to expectations by grabbing gold medals as India swept the singles badminton competition at the Commonwealth Games for the first time in Birmingham on Monday.ย
India swept the singles badminton competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Monday, as superstar P V Sindhu and rising star Lakshya Sen lived up to the hype by winning gold medals.
Sindhu, an icon of Indian sport, defeated Michelle Li of Canada in a comfortable straight-game victory to add a CWG gold to her impressive collection. In front of a large crowd at the NEC arena, the seventh-ranked player in the world from India defeated her 13th-ranked opponent 21-15, 21-13.
GLORY FOR SINDHU๐ฅ wins against Michelle Li (CAN) with a score of 2-0 at the
With this win the former World Champion Sindhu adds another Gold๐ฅ to her long list of monumental achievements๐คฉ
Many Congratulations Champ๐๐ป๐คฉ pic.twitter.com/s7ZyiDxV2w
๐ธLAKSHYA ACHIEVED ๐ฅ!!
Our young sensation clinches the GOLD after a solid comeback, winning 2-1 (19-21 21-9 21-16) against Tze Yong (MAS) in the Badminton MS Gold Medal bout at the ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/FdSw6dWXrG
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Later in the day, Sen, ranked tenth, made a comeback to end Ng Tze Yong's streak of victories over giants. The 20-year-old from Malaysia upset the 42nd-ranked player in the world 19-21, 21-9, 21-16.ย
Sen trailed for the whole of the first game but maintained a close distance from the Malaysian, who had defeated both Kidambi Srikanth and world champion Yew Kean Loh in his previous two encounters.
Sen made it 19-18 from 16-19 before Yong produced back-to-back forehand winners to gain a game point. Sen misjudged a baseline call after a gruelling rally to hand the advantage to Yong. The second game was one-way traffic after Sen led 11-9 at the interval. The Indian took 12 points in a row post the break to level the final. Yong made a slew of unforced errors, and it seemed he wanted to preserve energy for the third game.ย
Sen was at his attacking best in the decider and led until the end. Yong tried his best to mount a comeback, but Sen was unstoppable. He converted his first match point following a long rally, leading to a frenzied celebration that saw him throw his racket into the stands.ย
"It was tense in the start, I had to work really hard. Yong also played a great tournament. Congratulations to him as well," said Sen after a hard-fought contest.ย
Michelle, 30, needed to perform exceptionally in order to defeat Sindhu for the first time in eight years, but the Indian did not give her a chance. Sindhu was proficient in the short game and seized each opportunity for attack. At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, Michelle defeated the 2019 world champion.
In the opening game, Sindhu was the more aggressive player, while Michelle tried to score by playing close to the net. The Canadian struck back with a drop shot on Sindhu's right to make it 7-6, after a smash on Li's left made it 7-5. After the break, Sindhu scored three points in a row to increase her advantage to 14-8.
She grinned in annoyance as Michelle then netted a legal forehand drop. Michelle did produce two backhand winners in a row for a score of 14-17, but Sindhu won the opening game with a swat stroke to the Canadian's body.
With a superb retrieval off her body in the second, the Hyderabadi took the lead 4-2 and led 11-6 at the half. The spectators anticipated a comeback from Michelle, who then used a forehand winner to end the longest rally of the contest.
Sindhu, however, shut the door on her and completed a fine win with a cross-court winner. "I had been waiting for this gold for a long time, and finally, I have got it. I am super happy. Thanks to the crowd, they made me win today," said Sindhu after the final.
Congratulatory messages poured in for both the sporting stars across social media platforms. Here's a look at some of the reactions on Twitter:
Pride of India, creates history by winning the Gold Medal in ! She won Bronze in Glasgow 2014, Silver in Gold Coast 2018 and now GOLD!!
Congratulations Sindhu for making India proud once again! ๐ฎ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/El8YRUo5zT
P V Sindhu - you never fail to amaze & truly are the epitome of girl power. Congratulations on yet another๐ฅ.
This medal is all the more special as it marks Indiaโs 200th Gold Medal in the history of CWG. - may you always continue to shine & make the Nation proud. pic.twitter.com/HgHMusyJbp
P V Sindhu has won the nation's heart by winning a historic badminton gold at . You created magic on the court, enthralling millions. Your masterly win makes our Tiranga fly high & our national anthem resonate at Birmingham. Heartiest congratulations!
โ President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn)PV Sindhu continues to bring glory to the nation!
Heartiest congratulations to her for clinching Gold medal in Badminton Women's Singles event at . She has yet again proved that her hard work & determination know no bounds. Wishing her many more such triumphs in the future. pic.twitter.com/8yHUH81ELb
Congratulations to for winning her first-ever Gold๐ฅmedal in .
India is elated by her stellar performance.
The most striking feature of โs game is her dauntless attitude and never-say-die spirit.
Her tenacity motivates every Indian. pic.twitter.com/eMhFQ2WBfl
Sensational performances by and to win gold medals. Both showed flair, grit and ambition. Neither final was easy, but Sindhu and Sen didnโt relent.
โ Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah)PV Sindhu
2014๐ฅ
2018๐ฅ
2022๐ฅ
It's remarkable that a player of PV Sindhu's calibre with multiple World and Olympic medals had never won a women's singles gold at Commonwealth Games. She corrects that at her 3 CWG beating Michelle Li 21-15, 21-13 in the final at Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/CeljX2c5bR
PV Sindhu has created history by winning the Singles Gold Medal in Badminton at the Common Wealth Games, 2022. Thank you for making the country proud once again. Congratulations on your inspiring victory and best wishes for your future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/GjljLvpQcX
โ Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan)With Sindhu, you just knew....
โ Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)CM Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao has expressed happiness over Badminton player winning Gold in Women's Singles category at the . Hon'ble CM congratulated Ms. Sindhu and lauded her effort.
(File Photo) pic.twitter.com/IzyoGjPBQD
Congratulations to PV Sindhu for winning Gold๐ฅin Women's Singles at ๐ฎ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/deaOhJZAFV
โ Rajeev Chandrasekhar ๐ฎ๐ณ (@Rajeev_GoI)What a scintillating comeback by .
Your energy and commitment have brought glory to the nation. Heartiest congratulations for a well-deserved Gold ๐ฅ.
My best wishes for your bright future. pic.twitter.com/uxxdE6oDhl
SEN - SATIONAL !!! ๐ฅ GOLD
Lakshya Sen you are a fighter embodying and displaying the spirit of young India ๐ฎ๐ณ!
You came back and clinched this victory like a determined champ!
Our heartbeats were racing !
Youโre such a delight to watch!
Well done & congratulations! pic.twitter.com/fFtzejqq25
๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐!
Presenting ๐ธ Menโs Singles Champion & ๐ฅ winner pic.twitter.com/SIp2o2ft3W
The young and energetic Lakshya Sen makes India proud! Congratulations on winning the badminton gold at . The way you bounced back with a commanding display symbolises a bold new India that is determined to win. You make our tricolour go up again at Birmingham.
โ President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn)The whole nation is extremely proud of for winning the Gold Medal at !!
Congratulations Lakshya for making India proud once again ๐ฎ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/SCO4Lx7svv
We knew was a star but wow, he is shining bright today.
โ Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)Exemplary performance by Lakshya Sen!
Congratulations to him on winning the Gold medal in Badminton Men's Singles event at . He has become a shining example of perseverance & diligence. The entire country is proud of you and elated at your win. pic.twitter.com/2LAPmRLOJY
A player of sheer hardwork and brilliance, that is who has been bringing glories to the nation from such a young age. Congratulations for your first gold medal champion!๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ณ Wishing you all the luck for your future endeavours .
โ Suresh Raina๐ฎ๐ณ (@ImRaina)Rising Star โฆโฉ brings Gold ๐ฅfor India!
Combination of perseverance in efforts & precision in shots absolutely dominated the court.
Heartiest congratulations & best wishes to him. pic.twitter.com/TilhFIcY8S
These two men deserve so much credit for everything that โฆโฉ has achieved. Prakash & Vimal sir. LEGENDS โฆโฉ pic.twitter.com/dAlK32IBxP
โ Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha)What a fighter! Just refused to give up until he won. Which he did. Through sheer will. Congratulations ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐๐ฝ pic.twitter.com/ORL4i5MF67
โ Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14)Itโs a Gold !!!!! ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ
โ taapsee pannu (@taapsee)Gold medal for Lakshya Sen!!
India take gold in both the badminton singles.
(With inputs from PTI)