Indian shuttler Arvind Bhat ended a seven-year title drought by winning the German Open Grand Prix Gold with a gruelling three-game upset victory over 12th seed Dane Hans-Kristian Vittinghus in the men's singles final in Mulheim an der Ruhr.
Ranked 87th, the 34-year-old Bhat won 24-22, 19-21, 21-11 in 60 minutes and became the first Indian to emerge triumphant in the tournament.
The former National champion drew from his huge reservoir of experience to outlast the Dane, whom he met for the first time in his career.
The first game turned out to be a battle of attrition as the two shuttlers matched each other point for point.
However, the Indian turned out to be the more enterprising, converting the only game point he earned after the Dane had frittered away four to win the first game.
There was nothing spectacularly distinct in any of the players' games and both seemed wary of approaching the net.
The second game followed a similar pattern, but it was Vittinghus who prevailed this time after converting one of the two game points he earned.
But the Dane lost steam in the decisive third game as the Indian reeled off 11 consecutive points to seal the issue.
Arvind has won six international titles, including the Scottish Open in 2004 and Czech International in 2007. He participated in the 2010 Asian Games in Guanzhou, China, and was in the Indian team for Sudirman Cup 2011.
Image: Arvind Bhat
Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images
