India’s top two shuttlers, PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal set up a blockbuster summit clash by winning their respective semi-finals in contrasting fashions at the 83rd Senior National Badminton Championships on Friday.
While top seed Sindhu staved off a gutsy fightback from Assam’s wonderkid Ashmita Chaliha to secure a 21-10, 22-20 win, defending champion Saina Nehwal had it easier against Vaishnavi Bhale whom she beat 21-15, 21-14.
The summit clash will see the two taking on each other in a rematch of last year’s enthralling final, which Nehwal won. Nehwal will aim for her fourth title and Sindhu will try to lay her hands on the coveted trophy after earlier triumphs in 2011 and 2013.
Lakshya Sen sets up Sourabh Verma final
The men’s singles final will be a repeat of the 2016 summit clash between two-time champion Sourabh Verma and Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen.
Sen, who has improved by leaps and bounce in the last two years, proved too good for P Kashyap in the semi-finals. He was aggressive, dominated most of the rallies and showed the guile to wriggle out of tight situations to beat his more experienced opponent 21-15, 21-16.
In the other semi-final, Verma ended the dream run of Maharashtra’s Kaushal Dharmamer with a 21-14, 21-17 win in 44 minutes.
Dharmamer managed to keep pace with Verma till the mid-game interval in both games but it was pretty clear that the opponent had another gear going into the business end of the games and the 23-year-old from Mumbai was found wanting.
Arjun-Shlok duo reach men’s doubles final
In the doubles semi-finals, top seeds Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg needed only 32 minutes to dispatch Vighnesh Devlekar and Harika V 21-15, 21-16 to enter the mixed doubles final.
They will take on the unseeded combine of Manu Attri and Maneesha K, who continued their impressive run with a fine 21-18, 21-17 win over Shlok Ramchandran and Mithula UK.
In women’s doubles, top seeds Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram continued their quest for the title with a strong 21-13, 21-16 victory over Kuhoo Garg and Anoushka Parikh. They will take on the unseeded Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K in the summit clash after the latter edged Aparna Balan and Sruthi KP 21-19, 24-22.
Men’s doubles top seeds Arjun MR and Shlok Ramchandran eased past Dhruv Kapila and Krishna Prasad Garaga 21-13, 21-13 while second seeds Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty beat Arun George and Sanyam Shukla 21-17, 21-18.
Results (all semi-finals):
Women Singles: 1-PV Sindhu bt Ashmita Chaliha 21-10, 22-20; 2-Saina Nehwal bt Vaishnavi Bhale 21-15, 21-14
Women’s doubles: Shikha Gautam/Ashwini Bhat K bt Aparna Balan/Shruti KP 21-19, 24-22; 1-J Meghana/Poorvisha S Ram bt Kuhoo Garg/Anoushka Parikh 21-13, 21-16
Men’s singles: Sourabh Verma bt Kaushal Dharmamer 21-14, 21-17; Lakshya Sen bt 3-P Kashyap 21-15, 21-16
Men’s doubles: 2-Pranaav Jerry Chopra/Chirag Shetty bt Sanyam Shukla/Arun George 21-17, 21-18; 1-Arjun MR/Shlok Ramachandran bt Dhruv Kapila/Krishna Prasad Garaga 21-13, 21-13
Mixed doubles: 1-Rohan Kapoor/Kuhoo Garg bt V Harika/Vighnesh Devlekar 21-15, 21-16; Manu Atri/K Maneesha bt Shlok Ramchandran/Mithula UK 21-18, 21-17
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