Media365
Surya Charishma Tamiri and Rithvik Sanjeevi emerged as the new women’s and men’s singles champions respectively at the Senior National Badminton Championships, sealing their titles with composed performances on Sunday. In the women’s singles final, 19-year-old Surya, hailing from Vijayawada, recovered from a slow start to defeat Tanvi Patri 17-21, 21-12, 21-14 in a contest that stretched close to an hour. Tanvi had the early upper hand, dictating play midway through the opening game and forcing Surya into a series of unforced errors to take the first game.
A key moment arrived early in the second game at 6-5, when Surya struck a service return into the net. She was handed a lifeline when the service judge called a height fault, allowing her to stay in the rally. Capitalising on the reprieve, Surya raised her intensity and rattled off seven straight points to seize control of the game and level the match. The deciding game turned into a test of endurance. Surya dragged Tanvi into extended rallies, and the physical toll soon became evident. Tanvi tried to stay in touch, but her movement slowed as the game progressed. From 15-14, Surya shifted gears and closed out the contest by winning six consecutive points to clinch the title. In the men’s singles final, Rithvik Sanjeevi leaned on his solid defence and calm temperament to outplay Bharat Raghav. Rithvik claimed the opening game comfortably, but the second game proved more challenging as Bharat surged ahead to a 9-5 lead. The 2024 Odisha Masters champion responded with a run of six straight points to swing the momentum back in his favour, appearing set for a straightforward finish. However, a couple of poor judgement calls allowed Bharat back into the contest, and he even reached game point. Rithvik held his nerve, stayed true to his tactics, and sealed the match in 39 minutes. The doubles finals also produced clear winners. In women’s doubles, seasoned campaigners Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K claimed the title with a straight-games victory over second seeds Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, winning 21-14, 21-18. Top seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and R Ruban Kumar lived up to their billing in the men’s doubles final, defeating Mithileish P Krishnan and Prejan 21-17, 21-12. In mixed doubles, second seeds Sathwik Reddy K and Radhika Sharma caused an upset by beating top seeds Ashith Surya and Amrutha P 21-9, 21-15 to lift the championship trophy.
