Welsh International: Tanvi Lad wins title, RMV Gurusaidutt loses final

Indian shuttler Tanvi Lad capped a brilliant week by winning the women’s singles title at the Yonex Welsh International 2017 in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday. Lad, who was the top seed at this Future Series tournament, was unstoppable in the final and needed just 28 minutes to beat the seventh seeded Marie Batomene of France, 21-15, 21-8.

This is the second international title for the 91st ranked Lad after her triumph at the Bahrain International Challenge in 2013.

Lad, who won a round at the World Championships in August, came to this tournament on the back of a quarter-final finish at last month’s Scottish Grand Prix. Her form at this week’s Welsh International very much reflected her confidence as she powered through the draw without dropping a game.

WINT Results| Tanvi Lad wins the Women’s Singles for India! She will receive her trophy when she has finished signatures ? A well deserved win! #WINT2017 #BWplayers #BWinternational pic.twitter.com/VR8hFIioML

— Badminton Wales (@BadmintonWales) December 2, 2017

Gurusaidutt goes down fighting

India’s hopes of a double delight were dashed when the 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt went down fighting in the final of the men’s singles category. The 27-year-old succumbed to a 16-21, 21-23 defeat at the hands of the seventh seeded Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in 41 minutes.

Gurusaidutt showed some gritty fight towards the end of the match when he saved three match points and came back from 17-20 down to level the second game. The World No. 277 even held a game point to go up 21-20 but failed to convert it and lost the final immediately afterwards.

The Indian was looking to win his second title in three tournaments. Despite the loss, Gurusaidutt had a few confidence-boosting wins this week.

He won three rounds as a qualifier and then carried that form into the main draw where he won four more matches, with two of his wins coming over seeded opponents. His biggest win came earlier in the day on Saturday when he toppled the top seed, Sam Parsons in three gruelling games in the semi-finals.

The former World No. 19 has returned to the Tour in October after battling an ankle injury and a subsequent surgery that kept him out for nearly a year. He won his first tournament on comeback -- the Bulgarian International, which sent his ranking soaring up the charts.