Chetan Anand kept up the heat on Anand Pawar to snuff out the fourth seed’s aspirations of causing an upset in men’s singles of the second Tata Open All India Badminton Championship in Mumbai. True to his billing as the top seed and tournament favourite, Chetan won the title with a 20-22, 21-12, 21-17 verdict.
“The cream of Indian badminton was here, so I am happy to have won. No opponent or match is easy,” said the men’s champion at the Cricket Club of India courts.
Chetan was not happy with the pace of his game. He admitted that at the international level, sluggish play stands no chance. He later featured in a celebrity match, partnering Aamir Khan for a game against Deepika Padukone and former India star Aparna Popat.
Sayali Gokhale upped her pace in the opening game of the women’s singles final to match Neha Pandit, then slowed down the rallies in the second in an attempt to throw the aggressive youngster off balance. The second seed, who won 21-19, 21-15, expressed relief at the victory that confirmed her status as the current National women’s champion.
Men’s singles final: Chetan Anand (PSPB) bt Anand Pawar (Air India) 20-22, 21-12, 21-17. Semifinals: Chetan Anand bt P. Kashyap (Pet) 21-11, 21-12; Anand Pawar bt Guru Sai Dutt (Andhra Pradesh) 21-12, 21-14.
Men’s doubles final: Rupesh Kumar (PSPB) & Sanave Thomas (Kerala) bt Arun Vishnu (Kerala) & Tarun K (AP) 16-21, 21-14, 21-10. Semifinals: Rupesh Kumar & Sanave Thomas bt Jaseel Ismail & Jaison Xavier (Kerala) 21-10, 21-14; Arun Vishnu & Tarun K bt Akshay Dewalkar & Jishnu Sanyal (AI) 21-17, 14-21, 21-15.
Women’s singles final: Sayali Gokhale (AI) bt Neha Pandit (Maharashtra) 21-19, 21-15. Semifinals: Neha Pandit bt Gayatri Vartak (Maharashtra) 21-8, 21-13; Sayali Gokhale bt Trupti Murgunde (Pet) 21-19, 14-21, 21-17.
Women’s doubles final: Aparna Balan (Kerala) & Shruti Kurien (PSPB) bt Nitya Sosale (Karnataka) & Pradnya Gadre (Maharashtra) 21-18, 21-11. Semifinals: Aparna Balan & Shruti Kurien bt Bibari Basumatary & Oli Deka (Assam) 21-15, 21-5; Nitya Sosale & Pradnya Gadre bt Anjali Kalita (Assam) & Jyotshna P (AI) 21-17, 10-21, 21-14.
Mixed doubles final: Arun Vishnu & Aparna Balan (Kerala) bt V. Diju (PSPB) & Ashwini Ponnappa (Karnataka) 21-14, 14-21, 21-19. Semifinals: V. Diju & Ashwini Ponnappa bt Tanvir Gill & Mohita Sahdev (Delhi) 21-17, 21-14; Arun Vishnu & Aparna Balan bt Vineeth Manuel & Saumya Padhye (Karnataka) 21-16, 8-2 (retd).
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