Hyderabad’s champion shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu and young paddlers Akula Sreeja and Naina Jaiswal made it a memorable Sunday for the sports fraternity with their stunning title triumphs in the Macau Open Badminton Championship and the Fajr Cup Table Tennis Championship in Iran respectively.
Beats Li Michelle
Sindhu ensured a memorable finish to what has been an otherwise lacklustre year so far for Indian badminton by winning her second Grand Prix title this year when she defeated Li Michelle of Canada with a 21-15, 21-12.
The lanky shuttler capped off a memorable year for her on personal front having won the Malaysian Open Grand Prix early this year and then became the only Indian woman shuttler ever to win a medal (bronze) in the World Championship in women’s singles.
The 18-year-old Arjuna Awardee dedicated this win to her coach and mentor Pullela Gopi Chand and his support staff for their “unstinted support through the best and worst times.”
“I am delighted with this triumph which is very significant as it came at the right time and I can celebrate the New Year in style,” said Sindhu.
And, the first thing Sindhu did after winning was to call up her mother and share her moments of joy.
For the unobtrusive performer, Sreeja, a trainee at Global Table Tennis Academy under the tutelage of Somnath Gosh, it has been a splendid year so far winning 12 international titles.
A winner always
Today’s win in the Fajr Cup junior singles is just a reminder of her growing stature in the circuit as she did not lose a single set in the championship which she won defeating World No. 23 Baravok of Belarus to pick a cash prize of $800 after knocking out the top-seeded Hungarian player earlier in the semi-final.
The young paddler also won the silver medal in the junior team event partnering Priya Darshi of West Bengal and a bronze in doubles with the same player.
“For me this is a very prestigious win as the Fajr Cup features some of the best players in this age group from across the world. Interestingly, another Hyderabadi Naina Jaiswal also won two gold (one in team and one in doubles) and a bronze in the cadet category.
