Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in thrilling final to clinch third National Badminton Championships title

The 2nd seed Sindhu started the second game in control, going into the break point 11-7. What turned out to be was a great series of rallies and a convinced Saina not ready to give up.

The match reached its peak point after the two stood on equal points at 19. Superb rallies followed with a total of six match points. If Nehwal took a point, it was followed by a beautiful strike that put Sindhu back in the game. If Sindhu took a point, she was countered by Nehwal. Both went back and forth, front and back, before Sindhu sent her half smash into the net.

The blockbuster final was expected between the two popular Indian shuttlers when they confirmed participation in the tournament. Both of them notched up contrasting victories in their respective semifinals. While Sindhu was surprisingly stretched by Ruthvika Shivani before prevailing 17-21, 21-15, 21-11 in the semifinals, Saina hardly broke a sweat as she defeated fifth seed Anura Prabhudesai 21-11 21-10.