Title favourite P V Sindhu subdued former national champion Sayali Gokhale for the women's singles crown at the $ 15,000 Tata Open India International Challenge Badminton tournament at the NSCI courts, n Mumbai, on Sunday.
The 16-year-old Sindhu, from Hyderabad, won 21-10, 20-22, 21-11 in 55 minutes against the Maharashtra-born Sayali to pocket the winner's prize money of $1,125. The runners-up got $570.
Later, India's RMV Gurusaidutt, seeded no. 2, gave a fighting display before going down to defending champion Alamsyah Yunus of Indonesia in the men's singles final which was full of long rallies and acrobatic retrievals by the top seeded visitor.
Guru, ranked 48th in the world, fought tooth and nail against the Indonesian ranked 27th, but failed to take advantage of handy leads in both the games and was beaten 21-17, 24-22 in one hour.
Yunus got $1,125, while Guru picked up $570.
"I am happy after winning. This is the first time I played in Tata open. This is the third time I am playing against Sayali. This year has been good for me. This is my fourth title," said Sindhu, who has improved her ranking dramatically from outside the 200 mark into the top 50.
In men's doubles, unseeded Akshay Dewalkar and Pranav Chopra shocked top seeds Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas in a thrilling three-game clash. They rallied after dropping the opening game to win the match 19-21, 21-17, 23-21 in just under an hour.
Results:
Men's singles: Alamsyah Yunus (INA) bt RMV Gurusaidutt 21-17, 24-22'
Women's singles: 2-P V Sindhu (IND) bt 8-Sayali Gokhale bt 7-P C Thulasi (IND) 21-10, 20-22, 21-11;
Mixed Doubles: 1-Fran Kurniawan/Shendy Puspa (INA) bt Riky Widianto/Puspita Richi Dili (INA) 21-15, 21-15;
Women's doubles: 1-Della Destiara/Andini Suci (INA) bt 2-Gebby Rostoyani/Tiara Rosalia (INA) bt 23-21, 21-13;
Men's doubles: Pranav Chopra/Akshay Dewalkar (IND) bt 1-Rupesh Kumar/Sanave Thomas (IND) 19-21 21-17, 23-21.
