Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth win China Open Super Series Premier

Young Indian shuttler K Srikanth clinched his maiden Super Series title after defeating two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China in the men's singles events of the US $700,000 China Open Super Series Premier. While Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has ended the year on a high, as she beat Japanese qualifier Akane Yamaguchi in straight sets in the China Open Super Series Premier to win her third title of the year.

Nehwal charged to victory in a highly entertaining contest that lasted 43 minutes, defeating Yamaguchi 21-12, 22-20. Nehwal won the India Open Grand Prix Gold and Australian Super Series as well this year and is currently placed at the seventh position in the world rankings.

K Srikanth, the 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh showed nerves of steel to produce a dominating performance which helped him see off five-time world champion Lin 21-19 21-17 in the men's singles final which lasted 46 minutes here.

Srikanth, who won the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold last year, had finished runners-up at the 2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold event in Lucknow and was a quarter-finalist in this year's Malaysian Open.

He was also a part of the Indian badminton contingent that reached the semifinals of the mixed team event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

This is the first time any Indian male shuttler has won a Super Series Premier event ever since the Super Series and Premier tournaments were introduced.