Devika defeated Shriyanshi Valishetty 21-15, 21-16 to win the women’s title, and Raghu also won his first title in Senior National Badminton.
Devika Sihag defeated rising star Shriyanshi Valishetty 21-15, 21-16 on the Karnataka Badminton Association courts to win the title of National Champion in women’s singles at the 86th edition of the Bangalore Senior National Badminton.
The tall shuttler, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore and is renowned for her reach and punch in her strokes, had some outstanding victories this week and continued to dominate as she swept to the senior title thanks to her intense, attacking style. It guarantees that she will participate in team activities and make her Indian debut in the upcoming season.
Karnataka’s M Raghu also won his first title after overcoming Mithun Manjunath, a former national champion, in a thrilling 14-21, 21-14, 24-22 triumph. The fast conditions in Bangalore were a huge help to Raghu, who had to preserve three match points to deny his superior.
The youthful player, who thrives on fast courts, stunned top seed Sathish Kumar in the semi-finals after putting together a strong run. It was another matter entirely to defeat the cunning and strokemaking Mithun. Nevertheless, he maintained composure and played clutch in the closing moments to win in less than an hour, earning his first national championship.
