Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): India's Priyanshu Rajawat made history on Sunday as he won the men's singles title at the Orleans Badminton World Federation (BWF) Masters Super 300 tournament held in France, after a thrilling triumph in the final against Denmark's Magnus Johannesen.
The 21-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who had played one match as part of India's dramatic success at the 2022 Thomas Cup, defeated world number 49 Johannesen 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 in a 68-minute summit duel to claim his first career title.
How Rajawat outclassed Johannesen
Rajawat, who began playing the sport at the age of six, made a strong start to the final, but Johannesen kept a decent distance to prevent the Indian from playing his attacking game at first.
Throughout the tournament, he beat all players ranked above him: Kiran George in the first round, Nishimoto in the second, Chi Yu Jen in the quarterfinals, and Nhat Nguyen in the semis on Saturday.
The two shuttlers, who advanced to the final after qualifying, played some fantastic badminton, but the Indian relied on his ability to create winners to win the Super 300 title.
Rajawat wins the battle of 21-year-old's
It was the first encounter between the two 21-year-olds, who were both searching for their first win, but Rajawat, who didn't lose a game in the USD 240,000 tournament, demonstrated his maturity by dishing out a controlled aggressive game to come out on top.
The image of an airborne Rajawat unleashing a forehand crosscourt jump smash to worry his opponent will be imprinted in the minds of the audience, as he accumulated many points with this signature stroke.
Rajawat had returned early from Orleans a year ago when it was a Super 100 event, but the tournament was upped to Super 300 this year, and the Indian took advantage of the occasion.
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