Redemption in Lucknow: Sindhu, Sen, Treesa-Gayatri's wins spark new promise

There is an old saying: nothing is as sweet as a comeback.

On Sunday, India's star shuttlers, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, epitomised the essence of a comeback, clinching singles titles at the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow.

The victories rejuvenated their careers and along the way ended India’s prolonged wait for a World Tour title.

After her win, a relieved Sindhu posted on X: "2 years, 4 months, and 18 days."

That was precisely the time that Sindhu - one of India’s most decorated shuttlers with five World Championships medals, two Olympic medals and five World Tour titles - had gone without a title on the World Tour.

Before her momentous victory in Lucknow, Sindhu last won a BWF World Tour title in July 2022 at the Singapore Open, then a Super 500 event.

Following a stress fracture sustained during her gold medal-winning performance at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 in Birmingham, her form plummeted.

A subdued Sindhu often fell to relatively lesser-known opponents like Yeo Jia Min and Michelle Li. Sindhu, at her peak, had the tendency of coasting past such opponents with effortless ease.

For context, Yeo had only managed to beat Sindhu only once, at China Masters last month, while three of Michelle’s five victories over Sindhu came in the last two years when the Indian was plagued by knee and ankle injuries.

Sindhu still leads their head-to-head record 10-5.

Noticeably, the Indian's signature jump smashes and round-the-head smashes were missing from her arsenal.

Struggling to dominate the net, she often succumbed to opponents with superior net control.

Her court coverage seemed uncharacteristically slow, falling short of global standards.

Her campaign at the Paris Olympics, where she sought a historic third consecutive medal, ended abruptly with a pre-quarterfinal loss to China’s He Bingjiao.

Early-round exits became a regular affair with her game deteriorating and fortunes dwindling. In search of form and change in luck, Sindhu shifted back to her hometown of Hyderabad from Bengaluru and began training under new coaches, Korean Lee Hyun-il and Anup Sridhar.

Turning point! 

In that sense, the Syed Modi India International, the final event on the BWF World Tour 2024, could well be a turning point in her career.

While the event may not rank alongside marquee World Tour tournaments or occupy its place on the highest pedestal of Sindhu’s numerous accolades, the title will stand as a significant milestone in her comeback trail.

In the final, Sindhu overcame left-handed Wu Lou Yu with a 21-14, 21-16 win.

While it was not a vintage Sindhu performance, the biggest positives were her fitness, impeccable defence, and willingness to engage in energy-sapping rallies.

When Wu tried to overpower her with explosive smashes, Sindhu’s retrievals kept the rallies alive.

Frustrated, Wu resorted to tosses, which Sindhu finished with sharp crosscourt winners and inside-out smashes.

“This win will definitely boost my confidence,” Sindhu told journalists after her title victory.

Talking about her age and experience, she added, “Being 29 is an advantage because I have a lot of experience. Being smart and experienced is key. I am definitely going to play for the next couple of years.”

While Indian badminton has witnessed similar comebacks from legendary shuttlers like Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth in the recent past, their resurgence at the top was often short-lived.

Sindhu will be mindful of this pattern.

Rare moment for Indian badminton

For Lakshya Sen, the tournament marked a transformation of his character.

After the heartbreak of finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics and suffering defeats against lesser-known players like Lu Guang Zu and Leong Jun Hao on the World Tour recently, the young Indian shuttler seemed weighed down by a mental block.

At the Syed Modi India International, however, he was a different player altogether.

Dominating the Super 300 event without dropping a game, Lakshya outclassed Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7 in just 31 minutes in the final.

In stark contrast to his previous tendency to play catch-up, Lakshya, now at the peak of his fitness, began the match aggressively, racing to an 8-0 lead in the first game.

His blistering smashes outpaced Jason, and even the Singaporean's attempts to test Lakshya’s defence were thwarted by his agility and precision.

When he struck the winning point to end his and India's 1-year, 4-month, and 21-day men's singles title drought, the crowd at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium erupted in applause.

Earlier in the day, the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand made the moment even sweeter clinching their maiden World Tour title, defeating China’s Bao Li Jing and Li Qian.

This capped a rare moment for Indian badminton, with shuttlers winning three titles at a single World Tour event.

"Winning the Syed Modi International as the first Indian women’s doubles pair is a moment we will forever hold close to our hearts," Treesa wrote on X after winning the title. 

Treesa and Gayatri, the stars of India’s historic Badminton Asia Team Championship victory in February, endured a roller-coaster year, including missing out on Paris Olympics qualification.

However, they overcame that heartbreak with their maiden World Tour title and securing qualification to the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals starting December 11.

They will be India's sole representatives at the elite event.

In a season marred by disappointments - with Olympic medal favourites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exiting in the quarterfinals and Lakshya losing in the bronze medal playoff at Paris - these three titles at Lucknow have emerged as a beacon of hope, setting the stage for a promising 2025.