India’s Priyanshu Rajawat won the Orleans Masters badminton tournament men’s singles title by defeating Denmark’s Magnus Johansson in three sets in a thrilling final here on Sunday. Priyanshu, 21, from Madhya Pradesh, who was part of the Indian team that won the 2022 Thomas Cup title, won the biggest title of his career by defeating world number 49 Johansson 21-15 19-21 21-16 in 68 minutes. World number 58 Rajawat told PTI: “I am very happy with my performance this week. This is my first major title and I’m very happy to have won it.

Both the qualifiers and the finalists played brilliantly in the title clash, but the Indian scored points at crucial moments to win his first World Tour Super 300 title. It was the first meeting between the two 21-year-olds, but Priyanshu, who did not he lost a single game during the $240,000 tournament, showed maturity and won through a combination of offensive and defensive play. Priyanshu accumulates a lot of points with cross shots. The journey of this Indian player came to an early end at the Orleans Masters last year.

Last year it was a Super 100 tournament. Priyanshu got off to a positive start in the final, but Johansson didn’t allow the Indian to play aggressively. The Indian, however, soon found a rhythm and took a 6-5 lead with two aggressive returns that he extended to 9-7. Priyanshu took an 11-8 lead at the break with a backhand and then a winner. The Indian retained the lead and took an 18-11 lead with two crosses and then won the first game easily.

In the second game, Johansson strengthened his defense and started well to lead 6-3. Priyanshu hit some shots into the net as the Danish player led 11-8 at halftime. Priyanshu then made several unforced errors, taking advantage of which Johansson brought the score to 14-9. India again led 17-15 but Johansson kept her composure and won the game. In the third and decisive game, Priyanshu got off to a bright start to take a 5-0 lead, but the Danish player leveled the score at 9-9. Priyanshu led 11-9 at halftime.

The Indian, however, did not give Johansson many chances after that. The Indian fired seven championship points, but then hit three shots before winning his next one to clinch the title. Rajawat said: “I was a bit tired in the second game and I made mistakes. My coach (N Anil Kumar) told me not to think too much and keep my shuttle only inside the pitch. “He said, ‘I came back from 9-14 but because of a little mistake, I was second. Game lost.’ I made fewer mistakes in game 3. I knew that if I play simple, it will give me points.

Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.