Senior National badminton championships: Karnataka to clash with AAI in men’s team final

Karnataka will clash with Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the summit clash. AAI put it across a fighting Indian Railways 3-1 in the other semifinal.

S Bhargav of Karnataka in action during its Men’s team semifinals in the Senior National badminton championships | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR / The Hindu

Karnataka thumped Maharashtra 3-0 in the men’s team semifinals of the 76th Inter-Zonal-Inter-State and 85th Senior National badminton championships here on Monday. 

Karnataka will clash with Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the summit clash. AAI put it across a fighting Indian Railways 3-1 in the other semifinal. 

Karnataka had a rousing start through S. Bhargav, who dispatched Arya Bhivpathaki in a three-game thriller. 

India No.4 enhanced M. Raghu the lead for Karnataka with 24-22, 21-19 victory over Harsheel Dani in straight games. The doubles combination of Prakash Raj and Ashith Surya didn’t give any headache by closing the third match and the tie with a 21-19, 24-22 victory over Deep Rambhiya and Akshan Shetty. However, the doubles match threatened to go the distance.

The Karnataka pair saved three game points in the second game, and it required a jump smash from Prakash at 23-22 to seal the issue in Karnataka’s favour. 

In the other men’s team last four clash, AAI clinched the first two singles matches before the doubles pair of Pruthvi Roy and Sankarprasad Udayakumar pulled one back for Railways, with a win over AAI’s Alap Mishra and P.S. Ravikrishna. 

India’s No.1 Kartikey Gulshan Kumar rallied to beat a fighting Kaushal Dharmamer 14-21, 21-15, 21-14 in the fourth match to seal the tie for AAI.

Late in the evening, AAI entered the women’s team event final as well, edging out Railways 3-2. In the other women’s team semifinal, Maharashtra piped Punjab 3-2.

The results (Semifinals):

Men: Karnataka bt Maharashtra 3-0 (S. Bhargav bt Arya Bhivpathaki 19-21, 21-16, 21-19; M. Raghu bt Harsheel Dani 24-22, 21-19; Prakash Raj & Ashith Surya bt Deep Rambhiya & Akshan Shetty 21-19, 24-22.

AAI bt Railways 3-1 (M. Tharun bt Chirag Sen 21-19, 21-16; Meiraba Maisnam bt Mithun Manjunath 21-7, 3-0 (retd.); Alap Mishra & P. S. Ravikrishna lost to Pruthvi Roy & Sankarprasad Udayakumar 26-24, 10-21, 15-21; Kartikey Gulshan Kumar bt Kaushal Dharmamer 14-21, 21-15, 21-14.

Women: Maharashtra bt Punjab 3-2 (Shruti Mundala bt Radhika Sharma 22-20, 21-12; Aalisha Naik lost to Tanvi Sharma 16-21, 21-13, 16-21; Prerana Alvekar & Mrunmayee Deshpande lost to Radhika Sharma & Tanvi Sharma 18-21, 18-21; Purva Barve bt Manya Ralhan 21-12, 21-8; Ritika Thaker & Akshya Warang bt Manya Ralhan & Liza Taank 21-14, 21-13). AAI bt Railways 3-2 (Tanya Hemanth bt Vaidehi Choudhari 21-11, 21-17; Mansi Singh bt Riya Mookerjee 21-14, 16-21, 21-19; Tanya & Priya Devi Kongenbam lost to Vaidehi & Kanika Kanwal 17-21, 21-18, 19-21; Gayatri Rawat lost to Sriyanshi Pardeshi 6-21, 11-21; R. Arulbala & Mansi bt Bharti Pal & Shriyanshi 20-22, 21-19, 21-13).