After a week of incredible badminton, the Syed Modi International has drawn to a close. Finals day in Lucknow saw the Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand win their second straight title at the event, while Srikanth Kidambi settled for a runners-up finish.
Jolly and Gopichand were first in action today. Except for their opening round match where they needed three games to advance, the duo had led an incredible campaign in Lucknow and they were the strong favorites for the win.
However, on Sunday, the duo's summit clash against Kaho Osaba and Mai Tanabe got off to a shaky start. Despite a cheering crowd and the advantage of home ground, Jolly and Gopichand struggled to find their rhythm, losing the first game 17-21.
As the shuttlers changed courts, Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand began to settle down into the match. The top seeds found openings on their opponents end with ease, clinching the second game 21-13, before winning the decider 21-15 and successfully defending their title.
After Jolly and Gopichand, Srikanth Kidambi got down to business at the Syed Modi International. The Indian's week at the Super 300 saw him dispose of multiple promising young stars, including Priyanshu Rajawat and Mithun Manjunath.
On Sunday, Kidambi went up against Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan for his finals match. The battle got off to an interesting start, with Gunawan winning the opening game 21-16, only for Kidambi to stage a resounding comeback and clinch the second game 21-8.
The decider was a closely fought affair and while Kidambi managed to keep pace with his opponent for most of the game, the former World No.1 was eventually ousted 22-20.
Full results from the Syed Modi International finals:
Mixed Doubles Finals
Dejan Ferdinansyah/Bernadine Anindiya Wardana (Indonesia) beat Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) 21-19, 21-16
Kang Khai Xing/Aaron Tai (Malaysia) beat Chia Weijie/Lwi Sheng Hao (Malaysia) 21-9, 21-19