By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Indian badminton celebrated a rare double triumph on Sunday as PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen captured the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively at the Hylo Open Super 500 tournament in Germany that also ended a long time drought for both the players.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu defeated Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt 21-12, 21-14 in the women’s singles final, while Lakshya overcame Indonesia’s fourth seed Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 to claim the men’s crown at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken.
The double victory capped a remarkable day for Indian badminton, with both players producing commanding performances to bring home two major titles from the German tournament.
For Sindhu, the triumph marked her second title of the 2026 season, following her victory at the Japan Open in July. It also provided a strong response to her runner-up finish at the French Open last week, where she lost to South Korea’s An Se-young.
The former world champion took just 39 minutes to dispose of eighth-seeded Kjærsfeldt, currently ranked 25th in the world. Sindhu dictated the proceedings from the outset, using her attacking strokes, precise placement and court coverage to keep the Danish shuttler under pressure.
Sindhu established an early advantage in the opening game and maintained her control despite Kjærsfeldt attempting to make a comeback after the interval. She eventually wrapped up the first game 21-12.
The Indian continued in the same vein in the second game, denying her opponent opportunities to settle into a rhythm and closing out the contest 21-14.
“It was important for me to give my 100 per cent irrespective of who the opponent was. We’ve played a lot of times and for me it was important that I focus on every point,” Sindhu said after the victory.
“I took the lead from the beginning and I didn’t give her a chance,” she added.
Sindhu said the victory had given her considerable confidence and credited her support team for helping her through difficult periods.
She also expressed satisfaction with her recent performances, saying that things were getting better, although there was still room for improvement.
The victory earned Sindhu 9,200 BWF ranking points and strengthened her hopes of qualifying for the season-ending World Tour Finals.
Lakshya’s victory was equally significant as the 25-year-old ended his year-long wait for a BWF World Tour title.
The Indian, who had finished runner-up at the All England Championships earlier this year, defeated the world No. 6 Christie in a contest in which he gradually tightened his grip on the proceedings.
The opening game witnessed an intense exchange of rallies, with both players using their attacking strokes and defensive skills to test each other. Lakshya made a positive start, opening up an 8-4 lead, but Christie fought back with a five-point run to move ahead 9-8.
The Indian recovered his composure and began controlling the rallies through sharp net play, deceptive drops and well-directed smashes. He held his nerve in the closing stages to take the first game 21-17.
Lakshya raised his intensity considerably in the second game. His movement around the court and ability to exploit Christie’s errors put the Indonesian under sustained pressure.
Christie struggled to find his range as Lakshya continued to dictate the exchanges. The Indian opened up a comfortable lead and eventually sealed the second game 21-10 to complete the victory.
The triumph marked Lakshya’s seventh career title and his first since winning the Australian Open in November 2025. It was also a particularly welcome achievement after a difficult season on the international circuit, which included several early exits despite his impressive run to the All England final.
Lakshya had negotiated some difficult encounters on his way to the title. He recovered from losing the opening game against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff in the opening round to win the match in three games. He subsequently defeated France’s Toma Junior Popov in the semi-finals 21-17, 21-13 to set up the title clash against Christie.
The two Indian victories made the Hylo Open a particularly successful tournament for the country and offered both shuttlers a significant boost as the international badminton season approaches its concluding stages.