Badminton

Sathish came up with a nice deceptive game in the title clash. 
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Anmol Kharb upset Delhi’s top-seeded Anupama.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR

Nithin and Prakash clinched the men’s doubles gold.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR

Shikha and Ashwini emerged on top in women’s doubles.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR

Tamil Nadu’s K. Sathish Kumar came up with a nice deceptive game as he defeated host Uttarakhand’s 16-year-old Suryaksh Rawat 21-17, 21-17 and won the National Games badminton men’s singles gold at the Parade Ground indoor hall here on Tuesday.

The top-seeded Chennai-born Sathish, who trains in Malaysia, confused the unseeded Suryaksh for a major part of the final with his steep jump shots which looked like they could go out but somehow managed to stay in almost every time. He was taller and that helped him cover the court better, and his crosscourt smashes also won him many points.

Suryaksh, who had come up with a fighting display in Monday’s semifinal, tried to engage the top seed in net play and forcing him to commit mistakes, but that did not work for long.

“I was calm and collected, I waited for the opportunities and when they came I made good use of them,” said the 23-year-old Sathish who finished with two National Games golds on the day after claiming the mixed doubles title with Aadya Variyath.

Haryana’s Anmol Kharb, one of the bright young faces in Indian badminton, upset Delhi’s top-seeded Anupama Upadhyaya 21-16, 22-20 for the women’s singles title.

Anmol, the 2023 senior National champion, eased through the first game after taking a 14-10 lead but appeared to run into rough weather towards the end of the next. However, she fought her way back, varying the pace of her shots nicely.

“I think I maintained my pace in the second game but after some time, I became a little casual and committed a few mistakes and she took the lead. But I kept my patience and won,” said the 18-year-old from Faridabad who had lost to Anupama in 2022, the only time they had played each other.

The results: Finals: Men’s singles: K. Sathish Kumar (TN) bt Suryaksh Rawat (Utkd) 21-17, 21-17; Doubles: N.V. Nithin & S. Prakash Raj (Kar) bt Vaibhav & Ashith Surya (Kar) 21-16, 21-14.

Women’s singles: Anmol Kharb (Har) bt Anupama Upadhyaya (Del) 21-16, 22-20; Doubles: Shikha Gautam & K. Ashwini Bhat (Kar) bt Aanya Bisht & Angel Punera (Utk) 21-11, 21-13.

Mixed doubles: Sathish & Aadya Variyath (TN) bt Deep Rambhiya (Mah) & Akshya Warang (Mah) 21-11, 20-22, 21-8.