Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri hammered their way to the men’s doubles title, beating the Thailand duo of Chaloempon Charoenktamorn and Kittisak Namdash 21-15, 21-15 at the Infosys Foundation International Badminton Challenge 2019. The event is conducted by PPBA.
Before the two Indians showed their aggression and control, Kaushal Dharmamer went down in three games to Xiaodong Sheng in the men’s singles final, played at the Cricket Club of India indoor courts.
Sheng, representing Canada and boasting of a world ranking of 99, overcame the challenge from the left-handed rival inn 50 minutes of tactical play, winning 21-19, 18-21, 21-14 in the longest among the five finals played out.
Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, ranked 35th on the BWF list, showed flashes of skill en route to the women’s singles title, beating fellow Malaysian Benyapa Aimsaard 21-18, 21-11, ranked 168 and just 17 years.
Mumbai player Kaushal, nursing his left knee and determined to assume control of the tie, met his match in Xiaodong. “He hit crazy shots and emerged the better player in the third game,” said the 23-year-old left-hander, rating his Maldives International Challenge singles win as the season’s beat showing.
Ajay Jayaram and Siril Verma had faced defeat at the hands of the left-hander, a trainee at the Uday Pawar Badminton Academy, Goregaon, under Anand Pawar.
Xiaodong displayed his control and craft in the third game, varying the angle and length of returns at will, sending his rival scurrying to all corners of the court and finishing points with a mix of deception and power play.
The Canadian won the first game, bided his time in the second and rattled his rival in the third to win in 50 minutes and was greeted with applause after a long rally on the championship point.
The results (finals):
Women: Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Thailand) bt Benyapa Aimsaard (Tha) 21-18, 21-11. Doubles: Tan Pearly Koong Le & Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia) bt Teon Mei Xing & Yap Ling (Mas) 21-18, 21-14.
Men: Xiaodong Sheng (Canada) bt Kaushal Dharmamer 21-19, 18-21, 21-14. Doubles: Manun Attri & Sumeeth Reddy bt Chaloempon Charoenktamorn & Kittisak Namdash (Tha) 21-15, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Hoo Pang Ron & Chea Yee See (Mas) bt Chia Weijei & Tan Pearly Koong Le (Mas) 21-15, 21-15 .
