In another proof of her full recovery from a grievous ACL injury earlier in the year, reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin won the women's singles title in the BWF World Tour Super 300 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships. She defeated her unseeded opponent, Thailand's Phittiyaporn Chaiwan 21-12, 21-16.
The Olympic champion was her usual fiery self, playing at a high speed and celebrating with loud screams. However, initially, it seemed that her Thai opponent was not just keeping up with her but also giving the three-time World Champion a literal run for her money.
Still, Marin, who looked more intense at the beginning of this match compared to the semi-final, proved too strong as she raced to a 11-6 lead at the mid-game break. After the interval, it seemed a one-sided affair as Chaiwan committed three errors in a row.
This pretty much ensured that the gold medalist from 2016 Rio Games will take a 1-0 lead in the final. As the first game moved towards its conclusion, the domination of Marin became more and more stark. The Thai player seemed clueless as to how she can match the speed and power of her opponent. Chaiwan committed a lot of errors and went down with a margin of 10 points in the first game.
When the second game begin, the Thai lady showed fighting spirit and scored the first four points. It was a lucky net chord that broke her momentum. It seemed at this stage that the strategy from the Thai player was to engage in many net exchanges. But this wasn't going to be enough against a modern-day great like Marin.
Phittiyaporn Chaiwan needed something more and, to the surprise of many, she did possess it. Some high-quality shots kept her in the lead and, amazingly, she was ahead 11-6 at the mid-game interval.
A couple of errors from Chaiwan at the net after the break allowed Marin to come back and soon, she was back level. It was her powerful returns and aggressive play that was keeping the Olympic champion a step ahead of her unfancied rival.
From this point onwards, Marin kept getting better and better. Her celebrations became louder and her shots became more accurate. The Spaniard's net play also improved.Soon, Marin had six match points and she converted at the first opportunity to win her second title since returning from a serious ACL injury.
