Minutes into the opening game of the Orleans Masters final against Magnus Johannesen of Denmark, Priyanshu Rajawat showed his full attacking range that played a big role in fetching him his first Super 300 and World Tour title.
Johannesen was leading 5-2 when Rajawat came up with a string of attacking winners -- a crosscourt smash, a backhand clearance that was in and another crosscourt jump smash. Johannesen had no answers to the shots and in a matter of seconds, Rajawat raced to a lead and eventually won the first game 21-15.
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Priyanshu is the men's singles champion of #OrleansMasters2023, his first BWF World Tour Super 300 title ����
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While his attacking ability is his game's most impressive feature, what made the final win more special and more enjoyable was how the Indian made a comeback after dropping the second game. This was the only game he lost in the entire tournament.
After losing the opening game, Johannesen realised he had to play to his strengths, which were to engage Rajawat in rallies and capitalise on his mistakes. Johannesen focused on his defence and timed his winners to perfection. He took an early lead and maintained it till 14-9.
However, the healthy lead disappeared after a few poor shots. Rajawat barged in with seven straight points and later took a two-point lead at 17-15. But he lost the momentum and the advantage as Johannesen won the game 21-19 after clinching a terrific rally.
Despite Rajawat's immense talent, there were question marks about his fitness, considering his history of injuries at such a young age. Could the 21-year-old come out on top after playing a gruelling three-game match?
He was off to a great start in the third game, taking a five-point lead at 6-1 but Johannesen piled on the pressure with a couple of long rallies, which Rajawat eventually lost. He was down on his knees, gasping for breath after losing a point. He still had a slender two-point advantage going into the mid-game break, but it seemed he was losing the physical battle against his opponent. And he had to play the last part of the match from a side of the court where he struggled.
With the match and the third game evenly poised, Rajawat pushed and found the will to march ahead. His defence went a notch up and complemented his winners.
A perfect illustration of this was the point he won to make it 15-10. Rajawat, despite being down on his knees, kept the rally going with a brilliant lift and then finished it with a crosscourt smash. The final game was a perfect example of not only executing his attacking shots but also finding composure when it was needed.
A couple of minutes later, his service return was in and had won the deciding game 21-16. Arms raised and a subtle smile -- Rajawat became the first Indian to win a singles title on the BWF World Tour this year.