B Sai Praneeth, who beat Srikanth in a historic all-India final at the Singapore Open, is now a relieved man
B Sai Praneeth, K Srikanth
India's B Sai Praneeth lies on the court after beating K Srikanth in the Singapore Open singles final yesterday. (Above) Praneeth with Srikanth (left). Pics/AFP
Singapore: Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth, who clinched his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open by beating compatriot K Srikanth yesterday, said that not winning an international tournament played on his mind regularly.
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"I've always been playing well against top players like last year with Lee Chong Wei, but did not win any tournament. That feeling has always been uncomfortable in my mind," said Praneeth, who reached the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final earlier this year. Hampered by a recent shoulder injury, the World No. 30 revealed he trained relentlessly to get back on track.
"I trained for one and a half months continuously. My fitness has improved and I think that has helped me," he said after beating his training partner, Srikanth 17-21, 21-17, 21-12.
"We have been practising for the past so many years (at the P Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad). As long as we Indians play each other, the record doesn't matter. It's just a day and today was my day."
Two Indians were up against each other for the first time in a Super Series final. The game was a thrilling one and ended in 54 minutes. Ever since bursting onto the scene by winning the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010, Praneeth has managed to outwit some accomplished shuttlers such as former All-England Champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat and Lee Chong Wei. It was a challenging time for Indian badminton players in Singapore due to the passing away of the Badminton Association of India president Akhilesh Das Gupta. "We were struggling when we heard the news a few days ago. He was the one who made Indian badminton so big through the Premier Badminton League and getting the World Championships and Super Series to India," said Praneeth..
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