When Lakshya Sen finally launched the shuttle into the crowd on Sunday evening after his most comprehensive victory of the week to win the Syed Modi India International Super 300, it wasn’t just him celebrating a title victory. Given the challenges that Indian badminton has faced throughout the year, it was a cathartic moment for fans of the sport, rekindling hope for a brighter future in the year to come.
Before Lakshya, the Babu Banarasi Das UP Badminton Academy Center Court had already seen three Indians crowned champions in a competition that has been a happy hunting ground for local favorites.
While PV Sindhu expected to win her third city title to join compatriot Saina Nehwal as the only three-time winner, the pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand entered the history books as the first women’s duo Indians to win the title since the tournament began in 2009. But Lakshya’s victory was the most dominant.
It was a fitting end to a week – and the year for the two singles seeds – that had started on an unpromising note. Before the action could even begin in the city of the Nawabs, India’s continued struggles in the sport widely considered the second most popular sport after cricket had suffered another setback. The top-seeded men’s duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Sat-Chi), withdrew from the competition due to injury concerns and a focus on rehabilitation ahead of next season. The tournament, which once featured legends like Tommy Sugiarto, Viktor Axelsen and Taufik Hidayat in their prime, as well as champions like Carolina Marin and Nozomi Okuhara in the women’s category, had a significantly weaker field this year. In all sections of the draw, Indian players dominated, with foreign participation largely limited to those seeking crucial ranking points before the end of the year. The absence of top-ranked players even from the forfeit list highlighted the lack of star power as many are instead focused on the upcoming season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.
Consider this: Five of the top eight seeds in the two singles draws were Indians, including emerging youngsters like Aakarshi Kashyap and Ayush Shetty. The highest-ranked men’s foreign player was Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh, ranked 39th in the world. Among the women, Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong was the highest-ranked foreign player in the world at 48. While the former managed to reach the final before being dismantled by Lakshya within half an hour, the latter was eliminated prematurely.
Three-time spectacle: PV Sindhu won her third title to join compatriot Saina Nehwal as the only three-time winner of the Syed Modi India International Super 300 tournament in Lucknow. | Photo credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
Three-time spectacle: PV Sindhu won her third title to join compatriot Saina Nehwal as the only three-time winner of the Syed Modi India International Super 300 tournament in Lucknow. | Photo credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
To be honest, entries or interest from foreign players is neither a problem nor a concern for the Indians in the fray. They’ve had their share of worries, form, fitness and results haunting them throughout the year, none more so than the two top seeds, who failed on the biggest stage of them all, the Paris Olympic Games.
While Sindhu has always been a stranger to medal prospects – she last won a title at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and had only reached the final of a BWF Tour event twice since then – fourth place by Lakshya was a big shock. The youngster was one of the favorites for the medals and lived up to expectations in the early stages before losing winning positions in the round of 16, raising questions about his mental toughness from none other than coach and legend Prakash Padukone.
Although he is accompanied by his father here, Lakshya rules out any immediate changes. “I don’t think there are any major changes to be made. Lots of good things happened throughout the year as well, and some I can surely improve on, so I need to continue to focus on them while planning ahead. No major changes are planned; I just try to keep training and improve in every way. The process is about becoming a better player all the time, and that will continue,” he said when asked about any possible changes to his coaching staff.
Syed Modi was a story of contrasts. Sindhu grew in confidence and performance with each match, rediscovering her love for the game and remaining positive throughout, smiling often and sharing her ideas. Lakshya, on the other hand, was all business-minded: focused, efficient and reserved. He dominated his matches with minimal interaction, displaying only a brief smile after the final as his only expression of emotion.
It was in the doubles that the Indians really got a chance to prove themselves, and they duly obliged, especially Treesa and 21-year-old Gayatri. As the only Indians to have qualified for the Tour Finals, the duo have already proven they are in it for the long haul. In Lucknow, both men showed how much they had invested to reach this level over the past few years. “We really wanted to win and we kept moving forward, fighting,” they said after winning the final.
This desperation to win was also visible on the field. Despite being repeatedly stretched to one-hour and three-game matches, both men continued to find more in the tank to stay in the hunt and hold their own each day throughout the week. In each match, various areas of their gameplay were emphasized: if it was accuracy of drops in one, it was rock-solid defense in the other and the ability to dig deeply to gain power in others. Clearly, young people are destined for greater heights. However, men’s and mixed doubles remain a concern. While Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto managed to show glimpses of possible growth as a duo during their runner-up finish, the lack of a true successor to Sat-Chi was clearly felt among the men. But in a year that has seen too many lows and few highs, Indian badminton fans will take whatever they can get. Fingers crossed for a better 2025.
