It was a great Sunday for Indian badminton in the Canada Open, as Sai Praneeth won the singles competition, while Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy clinched the men's doubles title at the Markin MacPhail Centre.
Praneeth might have had injury worries in the past, but he did not show any signs of weakness during the final as he defeated his South Korean opponent, Lee Hyun Il in straight games, with the final score reading 21-12, 21-10. Right from the first point, the India shuttler looked in complete control of the title-decider, with some wonderful plays at the net and the back end of the court as well.
After winning the first game, there was no stopping Praneeth, who looked even better in the second, putting up an exhibition of outstanding badminton to emerge victorious.
The third seed deserved his title, as he was one of the best players in the competition, defeating Brice Leverdez, who had earlier defeated HS Prannoy, in the semifinals, in a tight encounter as well. That win against the Frenchman, who lost 20-22, 23-21, 21-18, gave Praneeth the much-needed confidence, and momentum to take on Lee Hyun, and win his first title in 2016.
Like the singles player, Attri and Reddy did not have much difficulty in getting past the Canadian pair of Adrian Liu and Toby Ng in straight games. The top seeds were too hot for Liu and Ng to handle as they were outplayed in all departments, as the Indian pair ran out 21-8, 21-14 victors.
This win for the doubles pair comes at the right time, as they are using such competitions as preparation for the Rio Olympics, which starts next month. Attri and Reddy will hope to finish in the podium in Brazil.
