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Young Indian shuttler Devika Sihag advanced to her first BWF Super 300 final with a straight-game win against world No. 35 Huang Yu-Hsun at the USD 250,000 Thailand Masters on Saturday, January 31.
The 20-year-old unseeded Indian, who won her first BWF International Challenge title at the Malaysia International last year, secured a 22-20, 21-13 win over the fifth-seeded Huang in the women’s singles semifinal.
“It is my first Super 300 final, so I am excited and happy. But at the same time, I want to remain focused so that I can give my best in tomorrow’s match as it is the final. So I just want to give my all and hope I will win the match,” Devika said.
Trailing 15-20 in the first game, Devika made a remarkable comeback, saving five game points
to clinch the opener and carried the momentum into the second game, overcoming Huang, who was plagued by unforced errors.
“After saving five game points in the opening game, I was thinking positively, and it worked for me. I pushed her into rallies, she made mistakes, and it boosted my confidence for the rest of the match,” she said.
The world No. 63, who trains under coach Umendra Rana at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence (PDCSE) in Bangalore, will face Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in the final.
“She has been training with us since she was 12 years old. Last year, she won the National title. She is very tall and lean, and has been working hard on building her leg strength,” said former India coach Vimal Kumar, Director and Chief Coach of badminton operations at PDCSE.
“While growing up, she struggled with knee issues, particularly related to the patella, which repeatedly hampered her progress. She is extremely talented. We selected her in 2017 from a talent camp organised at our Academy. Over the last four months, she has also been training alongside Sindhu under the Indonesian coach.
“She is a very soft-spoken girl and not overly aggressive in nature, unlike many of the other young players from Haryana. I hope she performs well tomorrow and goes on to win the title,” he added.
In the match, the two players were level at 7-7 early on. Huang then took the lead, building a significant advantage.
Devika handed her opponent opportunities to finish points quickly, allowing Huang to lead 18-14.
A service error from Devika and a straight smash gave Huang five game points. However, Huang went wide, and Devika won a net duel. Huang then found the net, making it 18-20.
An alert Devika stood near the net to dispatch one more, and when Huang smashed wide, the Indian levelled at 20-20.
Devika earned her sixth consecutive point to hold a game point herself and secured the game after Huang once again smashed wide.
The second game started evenly as both players committed unforced errors, but Devika reduced her mistakes to take an 8-5 lead.
Huang continued to struggle with errors, allowing Devika to extend her lead to 11-5 at the break.
Devika engaged Huang in long rallies, moving to 14-8. Using her overhead drops, forehand flat drives and better net play, she troubled her opponent, soon leading 17-9.
Two nervy shots saw Devika miss the lines on both sides, making it 17-11. Huang then smashed into the net, permitting Devika to reach 19-12.
Devika sent one wide. An on-the-line return on the backline gave her seven match points and she sealed it with a smash.
Devika’s rise on the circuit has been steady and consistent. The youngster from Haryana claimed her maiden international title at the Malaysia International in August 2025 and later contributed to India’s mixed team bronze at the 2025 World University Games.
Her upward trajectory continued last season as she finished runner-up at the Indonesia Masters Super 100 and made four title clashes in 2024, lifting trophies at the Swedish Open and Portugal International, while settling for second place at the Estonian International and Dutch International.
(With PTI Inputs)
