Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Akhilesh Das Gupta congratulated P.V. Sindhu for clinching her maiden Grand Prix Gold title at the $120,000 Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur Saturday.
The 17-year-old Sindhu, ranked 13th in the world, lived up to her top billing beating Singaporean Juan Gu in the women's singles final. The Indian shuttler won 21-17, 17-21, 21-19 in one hour and 11 minutes at the Juara Indoor Stadium.
�"This is a proud day for Indian sports and our country�'s badminton. I congratulate P.V. Sindhu for bringing great laurels for India. Sindhu had come close to winning a Grand Prix Gold in the finals in Lucknow last year but I�'m thrilled she has clinched her maiden GP title on foreign soil. She is capable of achieving much more and I�'m sure her victory will boost Indian shuttlers to aim higher at the World Championship and Super Series tournaments,�" Das Gupta said in a statement.
Sindhu thanked Das Gupta and her coaches for their support.
�"This is a dream come true for me. I would like to thank the BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta and chief coach Pullela Gopichand for motivating me and pushing me to excel,�" said Sindhu.