Devika Sihag became the women’s singles national champion at the 86th edition of the Bangalore Senior Nationals after defeating upcoming talent Sriyanshi Valishetti 21-15, 21-16 at the Karnataka Badminton Association Court.
Trained at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore, the tall shuttler, known for her reach and punch in her strokes, produced some sterling wins this week, and continued her dominance as she cruised to the senior title on the back of her furious, attacking game. . It is sure to make team events and debut for India in the coming season.
Karnataka’s M Raghu also won his first title, defeating former national champion Mithun Manjunath 14-21, 21-14, 24-22. Raghu had to save three match points to deny his senior, and Bangalore’s pace helped a lot.
The youngster, who enjoyed the fast court, had a good run to defeat top seed Satish Kumar in the semi-finals. But defeating the wily and strokemaking Gemini was a different proposition. Still, he held his nerve and was clutch in the final game to win his first national title qualifier within an hour.
In the men’s doubles, junior national champions Arsh Mohammad and Sanskar Saraswat were dominant in winning the senior title, adding to their trophy cabinet by defeating top seeds Naveen P and Lokesh V of Tamil Nadu, 12-21, 21-12, 19. 21. Sanskar, whose father runs an academy in Jaipur, excels in both singles and doubles, and needs to decide on his future soon.
Arsh is the son of a formal suit tailor who lives in remote Banda in Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand. His father Ashfaq loved sports and encouraged his son to take up the sport despite his modest means. Arsh has always been keen on doubles, and the pair trains at the National Center in Guwahati.
Ayush Aggarwal and former women’s doubles national champion Shruti Mishra won the mixed doubles title, while Aarti Sara Sunil and Varshini VS won the women’s doubles final. The talented Varshini pulled one back for Tamil Nadu and became the first from the state to win the senior national title.
Raghu in the men’s singles final provided the most fireworks as Raghu took a 15-19 lead in the final. He tied it at 19 with his aggressive forecourt game, but Gemini remained stubborn. However, Raghu showed good fighting spirit and showed three match points. However, a year after Anmol Kharb made an impact at the international level by winning the title, now it is Sihag’s turn to put it on the global circuit. His tall game is well-equipped to spring some surprises when opportunities open up.
Senior National Badminton Results
Single
Male: M. Raghu (Car) bt Mithun Manjunath (Ry) 14-21, 21-14, 24-22
women: Devika Sihag (Har) bt Sriyanshi Valishetti (TS) 21-15, 21-16
Doubles:
Male: Arsh Mohammad (UP) & Sanskar Saraswat (RAJ) bt P. Naveen (TN) & V. Lokesh (TN) 21-12, 12-21, 21-19
women: Arti Sara Sunil (KER) and VS Varshini (TN) bt Priya Devi Konjengbam (MNP) and Shruti Mishra (UP) 21-18, 20-22, 21-17
Mixed Doubles: Ayush Aggarwal (UP) and Shruti Mishra (UP) bt Rohan Kapoor (Del) and G. Ruthvika Shivani (pet) 21-17, 21-18
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