Senior National Badminton: Surya Karishma, Rithvik Sanjeevi win singles titles
Vijayawada: Surya Karishma Tamiri secured a come-from-behind victory over Tanvi Patri at the Senior National Badminton Championships in Vijayawada on Sunday, while Rithvik Sanjeevi S. defeated Bharat Raghav to win the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively.
Vijayawada-born 19-year-old Surya Karishma defeated Tanvi 17-21, 21-12, 21-14 in the women’s singles final, while Rithvik defeated Bharat 21-16, 22-20 in the men’s singles final.
The highly anticipated women’s singles final between the local favorite and the youngest-ever senior national champion lived up to expectations, with both players having their chances throughout the 58-minute contest.
Tanvi took control of the match midway through the opening game, seemingly unsettling her opponent enough to force unforced errors.
One such mistake occurred at 6-5 in the second game when Surya Karishma hit a service return into the net. However, the service judge ruled it a height error, providing relief to eventual champion Tanvi. She then won seven consecutive points to take control of the second game.
In the decider, Surya Karishma initially engaged Tanvi in long rallies, and the young player began to tire. Although Tanvi tried to keep pace with her opponent, she was clearly exhausted as Surya Karishma won six consecutive points to win the match 15-14.
In the men’s singles final, Rithvik relied on his superior defense and patience to overcome Bharat Raghav’s challenge. After winning the first game without any problems, Rithvik found himself under pressure in the second as his opponent took a 9-5 lead.
The 2024 Odisha Masters winner reclaimed the lead with six consecutive points, and it looked like he would win easily, but two wrong decisions allowed Bharat to stage a comeback and even earn a game point.
But Rithvik didn’t lose his composure, stuck to his game plan, and won the match in 39 minutes.
The experienced pair of Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K. defeated second seeds Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra 21-14, 21-18 to win the women’s doubles title, while top seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and R. Ruban Kumar defeated Mithilesh P. Krishnan and Prejan 21-17, 21-12 to win the men’s doubles final. Earlier, second seeds Satwik Reddy K and Radhika Sharma defeated top seeds Asith Surya and Amrita P 21-9, 21-15 to win the mixed doubles title.
