Harita Harinarayanan successfully defended her crown, beating multiple Pakistan national winner Palwasha Bashir in the women’s singles final at India Club.

The 21-year-old Indian won a thrilling tie that went the full three games 21-17, 13-21, 21-16.

The Kerala-based Harinarayanan, who mostly competes in doubles, had to be at her very best if she wanted to stop Bashir, who has been crowned Pakistan national winner since 2009.

“She is a singles player so I knew the game was going to be a little tough. I played an attacking game because if I played rallies, it would be difficult for me,” she said. “It feels great to win. There was not so much pressure on me because I don’t play singles so that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Harinarayanan started off strongly with a 2-0 advantage which soon built to leads of 8-6 and 11-6. She continued to raise her game and despite a brief fightback from her opponent, she drew first blood with 21-17.

The second game was all square at 6-6, but Bashir broke clear to lead 11-6 and 19-6. Harinarayanan had the advantage of 11-6 in the first interval in the final game, but Bashir reduced the deficit to 13-11. Harinarayanan took control winning the next three points at 16-11.

“I was always hitting and that went very good actually. She also played well,” said the champion.

Bashir was left frustrated by her own performance but said her opponent is a worthy winner.

“I am quite disappointed because I couldn’t control the shots because the AC was on. Because of that the shots were really fast,” she said. “She played well but I do feel that if I played my own pace, I think it would have been easier for me.”

She added: “My aim is now to play internationally and get more laurels for Pakistan.”