Lakshya Sen defeated the current world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to win his first World Tour 500 men's singles title.
The Indian clinched the final in straight games 24-22, 21-17. This is the second title won by Indians in the tournament after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty won the doubles crown.
The doubles pair from India scripted a superb straight-game win over three-time world champions from Indonesia Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 21-16, 26-24 in 43 minutes. Coming into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, Satwik and Chirag dished out a brave effort against the Indonesian pair and staved off a fightback to reign supreme in the final.
Indian wonderkid Lakshya Sen 🇮🇳 faces world champion Loh Kean Yew 🇸🇬 for crowning glory on home soil.#BWFWorldTour #IndiaOpen2022 pic.twitter.com/Vdau23WWj1
- BWF (@bwfmedia) January 16, 2022
From almost missing the tournament following a false COVID positive result to winning the title, life has come full circle for the Indian pair as they accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of a busy season, which comprises some big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, also reaching the finals at French Open Super 750 the same year.
The duo also claimed the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, besides winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International in 2018.
Satwik and Chirag also played a crucial role in India earning the historic mixed team gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.