Syed Modi International 2018 Badminton Live: Sameer Verma vs Lu Guangzu, Live score & Updates

And what a finish for the tournament! After 3 Indian losses, an Indian wins in the last match of the final!!!!!

Final score: Verma def Lu 16-21, 21-19, 21-14 in 70 minutes to successfully defend his title!

This is Sameer's third BWF title of the season!

WHAT A SEASON FOR HIM!!!!

SAMEER HAS DONE IT!
HE WINS THE TITLE!

HE IS THROUGH TO THE BWF WORLD TOUR FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER!

Sameer moves ahead to 19-14

2 points away from the win!

Lu is still trying to go for down-the-line shots but his accuracy has gone missing.

He is behind Sameer at 14-17

And that has emboldened Verma

He is now up 16-12

Lu makes it 12-13 but Sameer comes up with a smart netshot!

He is up 14-12

Sameer builds a 13-10 lead post interval

Sameer has a slender 11-10 lead at the time of the mid-game break.

And Sameer's fighting spirit is showing here once again!

10-10

A string of errors from Sameer has now allowed Lu to go up to 9-7

And it's 7-7

Lu is trying to make a comeback here....he trails 6-7

It's 7-4 to the Indian but he needs to be careful not to give short lifts to Lu

Sameer is now looking more confident as he keeps producing dropshots and a smart net game to trouble the Chinese!

Up 5-3

It's 2-2 in the third game!

AND SAMEER HAS FORCED A DECIDER HERE! WHAT A FINISH TO THE SECOND GAME!

SAMEER TAKES IT 21-19

Sameer gets a vital point through a lucky netcord to go up to 19-18 after the Chinese drew level at 18-18

What a magical drop from Sameer! It lands on the backline!

He is up 18-16

AND SAMEER IS FIGHTING BACK!

HE HAS DRAWN LEVEL AGAIN, AT 16-16

FIVE POINTS ON THE TROT FOR THE CHINESE NOW!

HE IS UP 15-14

And it's 14-14

But a few errors are now creeping into his game.

Sameer's lead has been cut down to just one point!

14-13

Sameer is now forcing Lu to lift the shuttle to him!

Sameer up 14-10

It's 11-8 for Verma at the time of the midgame interval.

Verma looks calmer and steadier.
Up 10-7

Finally Verma gets another point to take a two-point lead.

9-7

Lu is going for smashes at every opportunity!

He goes into a 7-6 lead

And it's 6-6

Once more Sameer is giving Lu easy short lifts which Lu is no mistake in smashing down.

Sameer 6-5

Lu sends the shuttle long!

Sameer leads 5-3

Sameer slips to the ground while retrieving a shot.

Lu back to 3-4

Excellent defence from Verma!

One more error from Lu!

It's 4-2 for Verma!

Both are extremely aggressive now. But Sameer's quick retrievals forced an error off Lu's racquet.

It's 2-2

Lu opens up a 2-0 lead in Game 2

Another smash by Lu and he takes the first game 21-16

Sameer is making the mistake of giving Lu short lifts. Lu is having no problem in smashing it down.

Lu now has game points at 20-14

Sameer attempted a drop, which almost went wide.

Still trails 13-18

Lu has now raced ahead to 18-12.

The Chinese is playing fast at the net... Sameer finding it difficult to tackle him.

Lu 15-11

Once more Lu goes ahead to 13-11

And Sameer levels this!

11-11

Two quick points for Verma after the break!

He now trails 10-11

Verma needs to cut down on his unforced errors.

It's an 11-8 lead at the time of the midgame interval.

And suddenly Verma has gone quiet. Lu comes storming back to snatch the lead and go up to 10-8

What a shot by Sameer! Deep into the baseline it was!

He is up 8-5

Good rally ends in a Lu error.

Good judgement by Sameer to let it go.

He is up 7-3

It's 6-2 to Sameer,....dominating the forecourt!

Sameer keeps his lead intact and his ahead 4-2

Syed Modi International 2018 Badminton Live: Sameer Verma vs Lu Guangzu, Live score & Updates | 25th November 2018

Verma def Lu 16-21, 21-19, 21-14 in 70 minutes to successfully defend his title!