It was the first meeting between the two 21-year-olds, who were both looking for their first win, but Rajawat, who didn’t lose a game in the USD 240,000 tournament, demonstrated his maturity by dishing out a controlled aggressive game to come out on top.
The image of an airborne Rajawat unleashing a forehand crosscourt jump smash to trouble his opponent will be etched in the minds of the audience, as he accumulated multiple points with this signature shot.
Rajawat had returned early from Orleans a year ago when it was a super 100 event, but the tournament was upgraded to super 300 this year, and the Indian took advantage of the opportunity.
Rajawat, who began playing the sport at the age of six, made a strong start to the final, but Johannesen kept a good distance to prevent the Indian from playing his attacking game at first.
However, with two aggressive returns on the left-handed Dane’s backhand, the Indian quickly opened up the court and moved to 6-5.
Rajawat’s precise backline toss, combined with his opponent’s long shot, helped the Indians to a 9-7 lead. He then hit a backhand smash and another winner to take a three-point lead into the half-time break.
Rajawat displayed excellent anticipation, allowing him to get into position early and thwack the shuttle. Two cross-court smashes aided the Indians in establishing a commanding 18-11 lead.
He made a few mistakes before unleashing a looping return on the backline to move to five game points and sealing the first game with another cross-court winner.
After switching sides, Johannesen improved his defence while Rajawat missed some shots, giving the Dane a 6-3 lead. Rajawat scored several times as Denmark led 8-5.
Two convincing winners kept the Indian in contention, but Johannesen was able to go into the break with a three-point lead this time. Rajawat fell into a slew of errors, allowing the Dane to extend the lead to 14-9.
The Indian fought back to 17-15 with some accurate winners, but a hard-working Johannesen reclaimed the lead and jumped to three game points while Rajawat made mistakes.
The Indian saved two game points, but Rajawat sent another one into the net as the Dane forced overtime.
Rajawat raced to 5-0 and then 7-2 leads in the third game after a string of winners, but Johannesen’s defence held firm, narrowing the gap to 7-8 after winning an incredible 54-shot rally.
With Rajawat struggling, the Dane drew even at 9-9, but the Indian was able to gain a two-point lead after producing two winners.
The Indian got a second wind after the final changeover, extending his lead to four points after winning another superb rally. Rajawat held on to the rallies and soon had seven championship points with another cross-court smash.
On a return to serve, he hit wide three times before pushing the shuttle at the back court and raising his hand in celebration.
