Festive December: Steady PV Sindhu, showman Lakshya end long title drought | Badminton News

PV Sindhu’s post on social media read: ‘2 years, 4 months, and 18 days’. If Lakshya Sen had to post something similar it would have read: 1 year, 4 months, and 21 days ago. The wait for a BWF World Tour has been long for India’s top singles shuttlers. And it came to an end on Sunday at the BBD UP Badminton Academy in Lucknow as they clinched the titles at the Syed Modi India International.
Sindhu overcame a tricky left-hander in China’s Wu Luo Yu 21-14, 21-16 while Lakshya completely outhit and outdefended Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7 in their respective finals. While Sindhu’s third Syed Modi title was a result of staying efficient in rallies and not going overboard, Lakshya’s first in Lucknow was a performance filled with jaw-dropping moments, putting on a show in front of the packed stands.
Lakshya has said that his focus has been to start matches strongly and not play catch up being passive, and he did that once again in the final, racing to a 8-0 lead. The first game was about Lakshya not letting Jason even breathe. The Singaporean later said, “I just couldn’t keep up with his pace, his attacks… I just couldn’t retrieve some of his shots and in that situation, it is not easy playing him. And even in 2nd game, when I had my chances, his defence was quite good.”

Top seed Pusarla V. Sindhu 🇮🇳 contests Wu Luo Yu 🇨🇳 for the crown on home soil.#BWFWorldTour #SyedModi2024 pic.twitter.com/E2LcFPPqZX
— BWF (@bwfmedia) December 1, 2024
Case in point, the rally at 16-7 in Game 2. Jason finally had some attacking momentum in a point and he played a powerful downward shot from the front court that nearly landed on the other side. But Lakshya picked it up from millimeters off the court, then managed to put in a full-length dive forward to keep the rally going, before eventually drawing the error from the Singaporean. And at the end of it, he stood at the baseline, arms aloft and pumping the crowd up.
Resolute rallies
If Lakshya’s win was filled with such moments, Sindhu doused the explosive power of Wu with some well-constructed rallies throughout the match. Sure, there were the signature Sindhu crosscourt whipped winners, and the round-the-head inside-out smashes that beautifully kissed the lines. But for the most part, she kept her opponent at arm’s length making her work for that one extra shot in the rally. It is perhaps a new dimension to her game we might see more of in 2025.

2 years, 4 months, and 18 days 😮‍💨
My team. My pride ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rsbpK80gne
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) December 1, 2024
Any athlete would tell you that the most cherished medals are the ones earned at the biggest stages. The World Championships, the Olympics, the continentals and so on. But sometimes, smaller wins might mark memorable milestones too. That is what the Syed Modi 2024 gold medals would be for Sindhu and Lakshya. Entering the tournament as top seeds, and with a watered-down field because it is the end of a gruelling season, their not winning the title would have been the bigger headline.
Sindhu was asked about LA 2028 already and she smiled at the thought of how far away it is, but gave a short “why not” response. But in the short term, she is focussed on being smarter with the choice of tournaments for 2025. “This (win) will definitely give me a lot of confidence. Being 29 is an advantage in many ways because I have a lot of experience. Being smart and experienced is key, and I’m definitely going to play for the next couple of years,” Sindhu told reporters. “My main goal is to stay injury-free, which is important.”

Closing finals match sees No.1 seed Lakshya Sen 🇮🇳 take on Jia Heng Jason Teh 🇸🇬.#BWFWorldTour #SyedModi2024 pic.twitter.com/rIO5bL7uzZ
— BWF (@bwfmedia) December 1, 2024
For Lakshya, as his Instagram caption said: “This year taught me to push harder, dream bigger, and believe deeper. Ending 2024 with a win at the Syed Modi International feels like a reward and a reminder: the best is yet to come.” Maybe the last bit applies more to Lakshya than to Sindhu, but in terms of lessons learned, 2024 was quite the teacher for both of India’s top shuttlers. They might be at different stages of their careers, but finishing the year with a title is some consolation for the heartbreaks that preceded.