It's a much needed title win for me: Sourabh Verma

On a comeback trail after recovering from a series of injuries, Sourabh Verma yesterday clinched the men's singles title at the Chinese Taipei Open after defeating Malaysia's Daren Liew in the summit clash of the USD 55,000 Grand Prix tournament here

Sourabh Verma poses with his medal after the final yesterday

Taipei City: On a comeback trail after recovering from a series of injuries, Sourabh Verma yesterday clinched the men's singles title at the Chinese Taipei Open after defeating Malaysia's Daren Liew in the summit clash of the USD 55,000 Grand Prix tournament here.

The 23-year-old from Madhya Pradesh rallied to grab the first two games and emerged victorious after his opponent Liew retired in the third game due to a shoulder injury with the scoreline reading 12-10, 12-10, 3-3 in the Indian's favour.

"It is a great victory for me and a much needed one. I had reached the finals at Belgium and Poland but could not win. So I was determined not to make the same mistakes here and I am happy I could win today," Sourabh, who was the 2011 national champion and was runners-up this year, said.

Sourabh started off well in the opening game and was leading 5-3 at one stage but Liew soon turned the tables with a five-point burst to lead 8-5. But Sourabh kept breathing down his neck and at 7-10, reeled off five straight points to grab the first game. The second game turned out to be more difficult.

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