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Pawar upsets Kashyap

S.R. Suryanarayan

PANAJI: Sweat dripping and stamina levels down to the last reserve both players clung on before fifth-seeded Anand Pawar (Air-India) edged out second-seeded P. Kashyap (PSPB) in the men’s singles quarterfinals in the senior National badminton championship here on Friday.

Only sometime back in a similar duel in Pune, Kashyap had downed Anand. It was thus sweet revenge for the former National junior champion Anand and it could not have come at a better time. The Air-India player thus also ensured that the last-four was not a totally PSPB affair as it has become in the women’s section.

Exciting moments

The 73-minute tussle provided several moments of exciting exchanges. There were sharp smashes from Kashyap, while Anand, attempting to preserve energy, depended on forecourt placements. Also, the net dribbles delighted the small, but boisterous gathering.

The way the contest developed, there was enough indication of a long fight. Anand led 16-12 in the first game, but Kashyap caught up in a flurry and then points went neck and neck before the number two seed grabbed the game.

The fighter in Anand took over from there. Even if the contest became a struggle with each passing minute and points advanced painfully, the interest grew because Anand did not give in. In the end it was this spirit that stood him in good stead as he ensured victory and a semifinal spot.

On other courts, National junior champion Guru Sai Dutt from Andhra Pradesh impressed with his free-flowing display against former champion and top-seeded Anup Sridhar. If anything Guru showed his growing stature even if he went down fighting.

Defending champion Chetan Anand had to weather the early enterprise of Sachin Ratti (Rlys) but cruised through.

In the women’s section, top-seeded Saina Nehwal is yet to be tested. Second-seeded Trupti Murgunde too sailed through.

The focus was on the Dhanya Nair (Rlys)-Aparna Balan (PSPB) match which, the former lost after she developed a backache. B.R. Meenakshi (PSPB), finalist earlier, appeared to be on comeback mode, but Aditi Mutatkar (PSPB) had other ideas.

The results:

Men’s quarterfinals: Anup Sridhar (PSPB) bt Guru Sai Dutt (AP) 22-20, 21-16; Anand Pawar (AI) bt P. Kashyap (PSPB) 20-22, 21-18, 21-19; Chetan Anand (PSPB) bt Sachin Ratti (Rlys) 21-17, 21-15; Arvind Bhat (PSPB) bt Sagar Chopda (Mah) 21-14, 21-13.

Pre-quarterfinals: Anup Sridhar bt Rohit Ranaut (Del) 21-6, 21-10; Guru Sai Dutt bt Ravinder Singh (UP) 17-21, 21-12, 21-18; Arvind Bhat bt Utsav Mishra (AI) 21-14, 21-15; Chetan Anand bt Srujan Nandaluri (AP) 21-13, 21-8; Sachin Ratti bt Tanishaq (BSNL) 21-16, 21-15; Anand Pawar bt Saurav Kapoor (Har) 21-7, 21-12; Sagar Chopda bt J.B.S. Vidyadhar (AP) 21-18, 21-18; P. Kashyap bt Jishnu Sanyal (AI) 21-14, 21-19.

Women’s quarterfinals: Saina Nehwal (PSPB) bt Jwala Gutta (PSPB) 21-10, 21-11; Aparna Balan (PSPB) bt Dhanya Nair (Rlys) 13-21, 21-14, 21-11; Aditi Mutatkar (PSPB) bt B.R. Meenakshi (PSPB) 21-19, 18-21, 21-18; Trupti Murgunde (PSPB) bt Gayatri Vartak (Mah) 21-16, 21-8.

Pre-quarterfinals: Saina Nehwal bt Neha Pandit (AI) 2-12, 21-10; B.R. Meenakshi bt Sayali Gokhale (AI) 21-18, 21-10; Aditi Mutatkar bt Ashwini Ponappa (Kar) 21-19, 21-15; Dhanya Nair bt Ruth Misha (Kar) 21-18, 21-16; Aparna Balan bt Abantika Deka (Asm) 21-12, 21-11; Jwala Gutta bt Parssa Naqvi (Rlys) 21-14, 21-11; Gayatri Vartak bt Anita Olhan (Rlys) 21-14, 24-22; Trupti Murgunde bt Sonal More (Mah) 21-3, 21-10.

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