The Chennai Smashers have won the 2nd edition of the Premier badminton League. They defeated the Mumbai Rockets in the final with the score reading 4-3. Among the winners were mixed doubles player Chris and Gabby Adcock, and also the Indian sensation PV Sindhu & Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk.
The 21-year-old Sindhu was up against a tough opponent, the world number 3 Ji Hyun Sung. She said, “I am very happy with the team’s victory. The last match was very crucial and I am glad we could pull through,” in the post-match conference.
When asked about her great performance and the successful run in the tournament, the Olympic Silver Medallist said that it was a great confidence booster. “These wins give great confidence. Especially since it is the beginning of a new season! Of course, we will see each other in the upcoming tournaments but such performances do help,” she said.
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Sindhu had earlier defeated Saina Nehwal in the semi-finals whereas her South Korean counterpart had won against the Rio Gold medallist Carolina Marin in a spectacular come-from-behind victory.
The final score-line between Sindhu and Hyun read 11-8 with Sindhu managing an early lead.
“Every match was tough and with this 11-point system, it is very difficult to predict who has a better chance of winning. I’m glad I was able to do well and win,” Sindhu added.
Parupalli Kashyap lost a close-fought encounter to HS Prannoy. Although he was full of praise for Saensomboonsuk as he won the decider match against Ajay Jayaram. “He had not played in 5 days before today and we were not really expecting him to pull it off. However he is a special player and thrives on such occasions whenever there is intense pressure,” said the gold medalist from the Commonwealth Games 2014.
