Priyanshu Rajawat from India secured his first-ever world tour Super 300 Title by defeating Magnus Johannesen of Denmark in the final match. Although the final match was stretched to three games, Rajawat had the last laugh by winning 21-15, 19-21, 21-12 to take the men’s singles title home. Rajawat is the first Indian men’s singles player to win the world tour title since January 2022.
Rajawat achieved a remarkable feat in the tournament as he only gave away one game in the entire tournament!
The 21-year-old winner hailed from Madhya Pradesh, India, and defeated his opponent, Johanessen, who is 49th in the BWF rankings. The final match lasted for a staggering 68 minutes.
Priyanshu Rajawat had an impressive performance throughout the tournament, with the victory in the final being the icing on the cake. Previously, he played one match as part of the Indian team, which won the Thomas Cup in 2022.
This win was the most significant achievement in Priyanshu Rajawat’s career. Though both finalists gave their best performance in the final, Priyanshu’s ability to score crucial points helped him win the Super 300 crown.
The game between the two 21-year-olds was their first meeting, with both players looking for a breakthrough win. Despite that, Priyanshu Rajawat demonstrated his maturity, playing a controlled and aggressive game to win the Super 300 title.
Priyanshu’s performance was impressive, with his trademark shot being an airborne forehand cross-court jump smash that troubled his opponent. He won multiple points with this shot.
A year ago, Rajawat didn’t perform well during the Orleans Super 100 event. However, his performance was excellent this year because the tournament was upgraded to super 300 from 2022, and he made the most of this opportunity.
Priyanshu Rajawat, who started playing badminton at the age of six, made a good start in the final game, but Johannesen maintained a good length to avoid allowing him to play his attacking game initially.
However, the Indian player opened up the court with his range of strokes and moved to 6-5 with two aggressive returns on the left-handed Dane’s backhand.
Priyanshu Rajawat made a precise toss on the backline combined with a long shot from his rival, and he succeeded in moving ahead at 9-7. He then smashed a backhand to score another point, taking a three-point cushion at the mid-game interval.
Rajawat showed great anticipation and was able to get into position early, which allowed him to bring down the shuttle with a thwack. He created a yawning gap at 18-11 with his two cross-court smashes.
Priyanshu Rajawat missed a few before unleashing a looping return on the backline, which pushed him to five-game points, and he sealed the opening game by scoring another cross-court winner.
After the change of sides, Johannesen strengthened his defence. Meanwhile, Priyanshu Rajawat botched up some of his shots, which allowed the Dane to lead 6-3.
Rajawat repeatedly found the net as Johannesen led 8-5. Priyanshu managed to keep himself in the game by producing two clear winners, but Johannesen finished the first half of the game with a three-point lead this time.
Priyanshu Rajawat made a pool of errors, allowing the gap to increase to 14-9 in favor of the Dane.
Priyanshu then clawed back at 17-15, producing some accurate winners, but Johannesen’s hard work enabled him to jump to three game points with Rajawat committing errors.
Although Priyanshu Rajawat saved two game points, he committed another error by sending the shuttle to the net, resulting in the Dane taking the match to the decider.
Priyanshu Rajawat moved to 5-0 and then 7-2 in the third game, producing a series of winners, but Johannesen’s defence soon started surviving Priyanshu’s attacks, narrowing the score down to 7-8. Priyanshu took the lead again after winning an incredible 54-shot rally, but the Dane drew parity again at 9-9.
Priyanshu managed to gain a small two-point cushion after producing two winners, although the Dane drew level at 9-9. After the final changeover, Priyanshu extended his lead to four points after winning another superb rally. Priyanshu kept the rallies under his control and grabbed seven championship points with another cross-court smash.
Priyanshu Rajawat hit wide thrice before pushing the shuttle at the back court on a return to serve, and he lifted his hand in celebration after securing the win.