Sindhu looks for downtime after winning Hylo Open in Germany
Lakshya Sen first Indian player to win the title twice and make it an Indian 'double'
P.V. Sindhu wins Hylo Open after reaching French Open final.
Lakshya Sen beats defending champion Jonatan Christie to claim second Hylo Open title.
Sindhu plans to skip Korea Open and Japan Masters after her two-week run.
It may have been a hit-and-miss year for Indian shuttlers, but P.V. Sindhu and Lakshya Sen redeemed it to some extent with a double triumph at the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, Germany, on Sunday, 1 November.
Sindhu, the double Olympic medallist who copped a fair amount of flak after returning empty-handed from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has been in fine fettle over the past two weeks — reaching the final of the prestigious French Open before clinching the title in Germany.
"It's been a great week where I could execute my plans. Now is the time to go back and relax," a smiling Sindhu told the broadcasters.
The sense of relief was palpable after last week's heartbreak, when the 31-year-old failed to break her jinx against South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young, going down to her for the 11th consecutive time. Sindhu is currently 12th in the BWF women's rankings.
Sindhu has therefore decided to skip the next two weeks on the tour — the Korea Open (3–8 November) and Japan Masters (10–15 November). She beat Denmark's Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt in straight games to clinch the women's singles crown, while Lakshya Sen won his second Hylo Open title.
A ruthless Lakshya defeated defending champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 21-17, 21-10 to claim the men's singles crown for the second time. It is Lakshya's first BWF title of the year and makes him the first Indian to win the Hylo Open twice.
Sindhu dictated the rallies with precise strokeplay, using her reach and court coverage to keep the Dane under pressure and seal her latest BWF World Tour title. Her recent form also strengthens her prospects of making another Olympic appearance at Los Angeles 2028.
Sindhu: Timeline of titles
2013: BWF World Championships bronze
2014: BWF World Championships bronze
2016: Rio Olympics silver medal, China Open
2017: BWF World Championships silver, India Open, Korea Open
2018: BWF World Championships silver, BWF World Tour Finals
2019: BWF World Championships gold
2021: Tokyo Olympics bronze
2022: Singapore Open, Swiss Open, Syed Modi International title
2024: Syed Modi International title
2026: Japan Open, Hylo Open