Sindhu, Lakshya storm into Syed Modi International final

Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen cruised to the women's and men's singles finals with dominating victories at the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament in Lucknow, on Saturday.

Top seed Sindhu outclassed the 17-year-old compatriot Unnati Hooda 21-12, 21-9 in just 36 minutes in the semi-final, while Lakshya outclassed Japan's Shogo Ogawa 21-8, 21-14 in 42 minutes to enter the title round.

Hooda struggled to challenge Sindhu, committing a series of unforced errors that allowed her illustrious opponent to maintain control throughout the match.

"I am happy with today's performance. From the beginning, I maintained the lead. I was just trying out a few strokes and overall, I was confident with the way I was playing," Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, said after the match.

"Unnati played her best, but I didn't give her a chance to overtake me. She is an upcoming player, and I wish her all the very best."

Sindhu's semifinal contest saw her gradually take control as she moved to a 5-3 lead with a precise cross-court drop shot, while Hooda initially kept pace with well-placed pushes and drops.

However, the 17-year-old's errors, particularly in the length of her lifts, allowed Sindhu to lead 11-8 at the break.

Hooda's determination to stay in rallies often resulted in smashes and drops going wide.

Sindhu extended her lead to 15-8 without relying on her trademark baseline smashes. Unforced errors continued to trouble Hooda, allowing Sindhu to close out the first game comfortably.

After the change of sides, Sindhu continued to dominate the proceedings, surging to 8-3 lead before extending it to 11-4 at the interval.

She continued her aggressive play with a smash, an overhead cross-court drop, and a body smash, taking the score to 18-7.

Hooda saved one of Sindhu's 12 match points but ultimately faltered with another error, handing Sindhu the match.

Reflecting further on her game, Sindhu said: "I am definitely happy with the way I am going. Definitely, there is a scope for a lot of improvement. It's not just that if we finish training or if we are at the top, we don't have to train. Every day is a new process, and I am doing that.”

Addressing her recent struggles, including her Paris Olympics campaign, Sindhu said, "I know Paris was not a good one for me. I have tried my best, but it doesn't matter. I need to get back stronger. So, I am working on myself."

Sindhu, who has been working with coaches Anup Sridhar and Korea's Lee Hyun-il, also spoke about adapting her fitness regimen.

"Every athlete has a different style of fitness. You keep growing, and at the same time, your movements need to be perfect. Maybe back in my twenties, the training program might have been different. Now, it's completely different. It depends on age, how I am playing, and my movements. Accordingly, we keep changing it."

A former world champion, Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, will face China's Wu Luo Yu in the final as she chases her third Syed Modi International title.

"I need to go back and prepare for tomorrow because it's not going to be easy. From the beginning, I need to give my best," said Sindhu.

Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, on the other hand, will face Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in the summit clash.

India's mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the final with a convincing straight-game victory over China's Zhi Hong Zhou and Jia Yi Yang.

The fifth-seeded Indians secured a 21-16, 21-15 win in the 42-minute semifinal. They will meet Thailand's sixth-seeded pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.

Indian men's doubles pair of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K entered final with a 21-17, 17-21, 21-16 win over fellow Indians Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar.

The Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat Thailand's Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard 18-21, 21-18, 21-10 to advance to the finals.

But top seeds Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa missed out of a summit clash after going down 21-15, 16-21, 13-21 to China's Bao Li Jing and Li Qian in another semifinals.

In men's singles, second seed Priyanshu Rajawat went down 13-21, 19-21 to Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in 48 minutes to end his campaign at the semi-final stage.