PV Sindhu clinches second title of season with Hylo Open triumph

New Delhi: Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu clinched her second title of the season after defeating Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjærsfeldt in straight games to win the Hylo Open Super 500 badminton tournament in Saarbrücken, Germany, on Sunday.

The former world champion, who had won the Japan Open in July and finished runner-up at the French Open last week, produced a commanding performance to register a 21-12, 21-14 victory over the eighth-seeded Dane in the 39-minute summit clash of the USD 500,000 tournament.

The second-seeded Indian, currently ranked world No. 8, dominated proceedings with her sharp stroke-play, deceptive shots and effective net game to secure the title against her world No. 25 opponent.

With the victory, Sindhu collected 9,200 ranking points, strengthening her bid to qualify for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

Sindhu entered the final with a dominant 6-1 head-to-head record against Kjærsfeldt, whose only victory over the Indian had come at the 2025 Sudirman Cup Finals.

The Indian made a confident start, opening the contest with a cross-court winner, though a couple of unforced errors allowed the Dane to stay in contention at 3-3.

Sindhu subsequently took control of the rallies with her deception and sharp net play to move ahead 8-5.

She maintained her advantage through the opening game, using a combination of well-placed shots and attacking strokes to put pressure on her opponent. A superb backhand winner helped her move to 17-12 before she converted her first game point to take the opening game 21-12.

Sindhu carried the momentum into the second game, establishing a 6-3 lead before Kjærsfeldt attempted to fight her way back into the contest. However, the Indian responded with a series of winners to restore her advantage and move ahead 10-6.

The Dane continued to struggle with her net play as Sindhu extended her lead to 17-11. An attacking return earned the Indian six championship points, and she sealed the title on her first opportunity when Kjærsfeldt committed another net error.