India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu stormed into her third successive finale at the BWF World Championships with a straight-set win over China's Chen Yu Fei (21-7, 21-14) on Saturday. Hence, she was up against her old nemesis and fierce rival in Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in a bid to claim her maiden gold in the championships in Basel. In a contest that stretched merely for 37 minutes, Sindhu dominated from the onset and created history to become the first-ever Indian shuttler to claim gold in the championships. She emerged on top of Okuhara by 21-7, 21-7.

Interestingly, Sindhu had come face-to-face with (the now 24-year-old) Okuhara in 2017 final as well, but couldn't get the better of the opponent at that time. But this time around, Sindhu was up for the challenge and her remarkable improvement overall was evident from the beginning. She attained the lead from the initial phase and gave no breathing space to Okuhara, who looked a pale shadow of herself. As a result, frustrations crept inside the Japanese player but Sindhu didn't let up on her assault.

Sindhu used her height to perfection for the attacking shots, made full use of the court with Okuhara made to run from one corner to another. Talking about match statistics, the 24-year-old Indian shuttler led 8-2 in terms of most consecutive points won. She was relentless in long rallies as well. In total points played (56), Sindhu ended with a 42-14 scoreline; depicting her sheer dominance.

This was Sindhu and Okuhara's 16th meeting overall. Now, the head-to-head tally reads 9-7 in favour of the Indian. Sindhu's confidence level had gone up with her remarkable come-from-behind win over former world number one, Tai Tzu Ying, in the quarterfinals. She was a game behind but bounced back in style. Hence, she managed to stamp her authority in the finale in no time riding on the momentum.

After the match, an elated Sindhu stated, “I am proud of the fans here, thanks for their support. Thanks to my coach Kim [Ji Hyun] and Gopi sir and all the support staff. And I dedicate this award to my mom, it’s her birthday today. Happy birthday, mom”, says the first Indian Badminton World Champion. The crowd then sang happy birthday for her mother! WHAT-A-MOMENT!!!

Sindhu, in turn, is now trending on Twitter with many sports personalities wishing the shuttler for her glorious achievement. After several missed opportunities (where she settled for bronze and silver), the youngster has finally answered her critics in a memorable fashion.