German Open from 1st-6th March-2011

The Yonex German Open Grand Prix Gold 2011 will be played from 1st to 6th March 2011.

The Badminton Grand Prix are level 3 events, that rank just below the Super Series events. These Grand Prix events are individual badminton events where participants compete in the Singles (Men & Women) and Doubles (Mens, Women, and Mixed) events, but there is no team event at the Grand Prix.

Badminton Grand Prix and are comprised of two levels. The Grand Prix Gold, and the Grand Prix, the higher level being the Grand Prix Gold that offers more prize money to the winners.

Click here for more general information about the various levels of Badminton tournaments

The Grand Prix Gold being a premier badminton event, some of the world's best players will be seen in action at Germany. The Indians who will be in the fray at the German Open Grand Prix Gold -2011 are Aditi Mutatkar, Anand Pawar, Ajay Jayaram, Aditya Elango, and Anup Sridhar.

The first round draws for the Indian men are as below:

Anup Sridhar vs. Dieter Domke (Germany)
Ajay Jayaram vs. Daren Liew (Malaysia)
Aditya Elango vs. Jen Hao Hsu (Chinese Taipei)
Anand Pawar vs. Ivan Sozonov (Russia)

In the women's singles event, Aditi Mutatkar will be playing in the qualifiers, and she will have to win to qualifying rounds to get into the main draw. Aditi will be playing against local girl Carola Bott (Germany) in the first round.
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2-Mar Updates:
Anand Pawar & Ajay Jayaram have advanced to 2nd round. The other Indians are out of the tournament. Click link below for more information.
http://mybadmintonbook.blogspot.com/2011/03/german-open-anand-ajay-advance.html

3-Mar Updates:
Anand Pawar & Ajay Jayaram both went down fighting in the 2nd round. Cilck below link for more details.
http://mybadmintonbook.blogspot.com/2011/03/anand-ajay-out-of-german-open-2011.html

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Sindhu-Maneesha win SCM GD u-19 title

PV Sindhu, the Girls Singles u-19 winner, combined with K.Maneesha to win the Girls Doubles u-19 title also, at the Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial India Junior International Badminton Championship held at Pune, in Maharashtra.

The Girls Doubles event was marked with few entries, and the starting line-up had only 8 pairs, which meant that the first round was as good as the quarter-finals, and only 3 wins were required to win the title.
Sindhu & Maneesha defeated Gauri Ghate & Daya Elsa Jacob in the finals by a score of 24-22, 21-10.

The complete results are as below:

First Round:
Amelia Sonia Kartika [1] [INA]  Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin [INA]   - [IND]  Ruthvika Shivani G [IND]  Poorvisha S R  16-21 21-13 21-18   0:42

K. Maneesha [IND]  P.V. Sindhu [IND]   - [IND]  Samhitha J V [IND]  Pooja Mudaliar  21-6 21-9   0:17

Visalakshi P Kanthi [IND]  Riya Pillai [IND]   - [IND]  Lalita Katre [IND]  Karishma Wadkar  21-15 21-14   0:30

Gauri Ghate [2] [IND]  Daya Elsa Jacob [IND]   - [IND]  Vijetha K [IND]  Krupali Karani  21-9 21-11   0:19

Semi-Finals:
K. Maneesha [IND]  P.V. Sindhu [IND]   - [INA]  Amelia Sonia Kartika [1] [INA]  Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin  21-17 21-13   0:30

Gauri Ghate [2] [IND]  Daya Elsa Jacob [IND]   - [IND]  Visalakshi P Kanthi [IND]  Riya Pillai  21-13 21-15   0:25

Finals:
K. Maneesha [IND]  P.V. Sindhu [IND]   - [IND]  Gauri Ghate [2] [IND]  Daya Elsa Jacob 24-22, 21-10
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Srikanth, Nagendra win SCM BD u-19 title

Srikanth K., the winner of the Boys Singles u-19 title, paired with Nagendra Babu, to also win the Boys Doubles u-19 final at the Sushant Chipalkatti India Junior International Badminton championship held at Pune in Maharashtra.

Srikanth & Nagendra defeated A.Naresh & B.Venkatesh in the final match that lasted for 3 sets.
The Boys Doubles u-19 complete results are as below:

First Round:
Shubhankar Dey [IND] Santosh Ravuri [IND]   - [BAN]  Rezaul Karim Md. [BAN]  Arif Hossain Mohammad  21-7 21-15   0:17
Kawaldeep Singh [IND]  Rupinder Singh [IND]   - [NEP]  Irfan Ansari [NEP]  Ratnajit Tamang  21-14 23-21   0:25
Gopiraju G [IND]  Prahas Reddy O [IND]   - [BAN]  Asif Hassan Md. [BAN]  Mahmuduzzaman Md.  21-13 21-6   0:15
All the other pairs had received a bye in the first round.

Second Round:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]  Nagendra Babu T Hema [IND]   - [IND]  Ankit Arora [IND]  Prateek Saxena  21-8 21-13   0:16
Talar Laa [IND]  Sai Tanuj M [IND]   - [IND]  Nitish Kumar Arora [IND]  Surender Rathee  17-21 21-11 21-11   0:32
Chandrajit Jha [IND]  Akram Safi [IND]   - [MAS]  Ai Wei Jian [3/4] [MAS]  Ikmal Hussain Bin Jaafa  25-23 21-16   0:25
Shubhankar Dey [IND]  Santosh Ravuri [IND]   - [IND]  Pratul Joshi [IND]  Sameer Verma  21-19 21-18   0:23
Kawaldeep Singh [IND]  Rupinder Singh [IND]   - [IND]  Sidharth Gaurav [IND]  Prakash Ujjwal  21-11 21-15   0:25
Naresh A [3/4] [IND]  Venkatesh B [IND]   - [IND]  Sriteja K [IND]  Shivam Sharma  22-20 21-19   0:25
Gopiraju G [IND]  Prahas Reddy O [IND]   - [IND]  Rohit Yadav C. [IND]  Vijetha N V S  21-19 21-16   0:21
K.P. Chaitanya [IND]  K Chaitanya Reddy [IND]   - [INA]  Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya [2] [INA]  Fikri Ihsandi Hadmadi 22-24 22-20 23-21   0:42

Quarter-Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]  Nagendra Babu T Hema [IND]   - [IND]  Talar Laa [IND]  Sai Tanuj M  21-13 21-18   0:19
Shubhankar Dey [IND]  Santosh Ravuri [IND]   - [IND]   Chandrajit Jha [IND]  Akram Safi  21-15 21-18   0:20
Naresh A [3/4] [IND]  Venkatesh B [IND]   - [IND]  Kawaldeep Singh [IND]  Rupinder Singh  19-21 21-5 21-10   0:31
Gopiraju G [IND]  Prahas Reddy O [IND]   - [IND]  K.P. Chaitanya [IND]  K Chaitanya Reddy  22-20 21-19   0:28

Semi-Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]  Nagendra Babu T Hema [IND]   - [IND]  Shubhankar Dey [IND]  Santosh Ravuri  21-12 21-16   0:20
Naresh A [3/4] [IND]  Venkatesh B [IND]   - [IND]  Gopiraju G [IND]  Prahas Reddy O  21-12 14-21 21-18   0:42

Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]  Nagendra Babu T Hema [IND]   - [IND]  Naresh A [3/4] [IND]  Venkatesh B 19-21, 21-5, 21-14

Srikanth K. wins SCM BS u-19 title

Top seed Srikanth K. got the better of Sameer Verma in the finals of the Boys singles u-19 badminton event, at the Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial (SCM) India Junior International Badminton Championship -2011 held at Pune in Maharashtra.

Srikanth K. defeated Sameer Verma 21-16 18-21 21-17 in the final match, to win the Boys Singles under-19 title.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Srikanth K. had got the better of Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya  of Indonesia in a tough 3-set match, 21-10 14-21 21-19   in 43 minutes, while Sameer Verma had defeated Rohit Yadav C.  21-14 21-11 in just 24 minutes.

This win for Srikanth K. against Sameer in the finals, must have felt like sweet revenge, because he had very recently lost to Sameer in the semi-finals of the Shree Gangadham National Junior Ranking tournament that was held at Haridwar earlier this month. That match too had gone to 3 sets, and after defeating Srikanth, Sameer had gone on to win the finals also.

Here are all the results of the Boys Singles u-19 event. (The last figure indicates the duration of match)

Qualifying Rounds:
Ketan Chahal [IND]   - [IND]  Prakash Ujjwal  21-11 13-21 21-15   0:33
Varun Sarode [IND]   - [IND]   Chandrajit Jha  21-13 21-13   0:24
Akram Safi [IND]   - [IND]  Kawaldeep Singh  21-17 21-9   0:25
Venu Madhav M [IND]   - [IND]  Venkatesh B  21-11 18-21 21-16   0:41
K.P. Chaitanya [IND]   - [IND]  Ribya Jokom  21-6 22-20   0:20

First Round:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]  - [IND]  Ketan Chahal  21-10 22-20   0:22
Gopiraju G [IND]  - [IND]  Venu Madhav M  21-15 21-19   0:25
Trinankur Nag [IND]   - [NEP]  Ratnajit Tamang  17-21 21-15 26-24   0:51
Anurag Thakkar [IND]   - [BAN]  Mahmuduzzaman Md.  21-5 21-14   0:17
Rupinder Singh [IND]   - [MAS]  Ai Wei Jian [3/4]  22-24 21-15 22-20   0:50
Naresh A [IND]   - [BAN]  Arif Hossain Mohammad  21-13 21-10   0:20
Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya [INA]   - [IND]  Varun Sarode  21-17 21-12   0:26
Pratul Joshi [IND]   - [IND]  Talar Laa  21-10 21-16   0:21
Fikri Ihsandi Hadmadi [INA]   - [IND]  Akram Safi  21-10 21-11   0:16
Shubhankar Dey [IND]   - [IND]  Sriteja K  21-13 21-8   0:24
Vijetha N V S [IND]   - [IND]  K.P. Chaitanya  21-13 21-13   0:22
Rohit Yadav C. [IND]   - [BAN]  Asif Hassan Md. [3/4]  21-1 21-5   0:15
Shreyansh Jaiswal [IND]   - [IND]  Abhishek Yeligar  22-20 21-18   0:32
Ikmal Hussain Bin Jaafa [MAS]   - [IND]  Sudhanshu Medsikar  16-21 24-22 21-15   0:45
Ankit Arora [IND]   - [BAN]  Rezaul Karim Md.  21-9 21-14   0:35
Sameer Verma [2] [IND]   - [NEP]  Irfan Ansari  21-5 21-10   0:18

Second Round:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]   - [IND]  Gopiraju G  21-7 21-13   0:21
Trinankur Nag [IND]   - [IND]  Anurag Thakkar  23-21 21-18   0:41
Rupinder Singh [IND]   - [IND]  Naresh A  21-17 21-8   0:18
Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya [INA]   - [IND]  Pratul Joshi  21-19 19-21 21-19   0:55
Shubhankar Dey [IND]   - [INA]  Fikri Ihsandi Hadmadi  23-21 16-21 21-13   1:02
Rohit Yadav C. [IND]   - [IND]  Vijetha N V S  21-10 22-24 21-17   0:50
Shreyansh Jaiswal [IND]   - [MAS]  Ikmal Hussain Bin Jaafa  21-13 21-10   0:23
Sameer Verma [2] [IND]   - [IND]  Ankit Arora  21-9 21-17   0:23

Quarter-Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]   - [IND]  Trinankur Nag  21-14 21-17   0:27
Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya [INA]   - [IND]  Rupinder Singh  21-12 21-17   0:30
Rohit Yadav C. [IND]   - [IND]  Shubhankar Dey  21-17 21-18   0:35
Sameer Verma [2] [IND]   - [IND]  Shreyansh Jaiswal  21-16 21-7   0:24

Semi-Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]   - [INA]  Gesstano Ganendra Adwitya  21-10 14-21 21-19   0:43
Sameer Verma [2] [IND]   - [IND]  Rohit Yadav C.  21-14 21-11   0:24

Finals:
Srikanth K. [1] [IND]   - [IND] Sameer Verma [2]  21-16 18-21 21-17

PV Sindhu wins SCM U-19 title

15-year old rising badminton star P.V. Sindhu of Andhra Pradesh, bagged the Girls Singles under-19 badminton title at the Sushant ChipalKatti Memorial India Junior International Badminton Championship-2011 held at Pune.

The top seeded Sindhu defeated the 2nd seeded another promising badminton player Tanvi Lad of Mumbai 21-23, 21-11, 21-7 in the finals.

Earlier Sindhu had defeated Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin of Indonesia, while Tanvi had got the better of Daya Elsa Jacob in the semi-finals.

P.V. Sindhu then converted this joy to a double title win, as she also paired with K.Maneesha to win the Girls Doubles u-19 title defeating the pair of Gauri Ghate & Daya Elsa Jacob in the girls doubles final match.

GS u-19 complete results are as below. (The last figure indicates duration of match)

First Round Results:
Visalakshi P Kanthi [IND]  - [IND]  Insha Imam 21-14 21-17   0:25
Sanchali Das Gupta [IND]  - [IND]  Anura Prabhudesai 21-10 21-17   0:25
Priya Prakash [IND] - [IND]  Shambhavi Bajaj 23-21 21-18   0:25
Rewati Deosthale [IND]   - [IND]  Vijetha K  21-13 21-11   0:21
Sudha Kalyani D [IND]   - [IND]  Pooja Mudaliar 21-18 14-21 21-17   0:35
Daya Elsa Jacob [IND]   - [IND]  Kalyani Limaye 21-12 21-8   0:20
Ruthvika Shivani G [IND]  - [IND]  Karishma Wadkar 21-17 16-21 21-10   0:33
Riya Pillai [IND]   - [IND]  Arathi Sara Sunil 22-20 16-21 21-16   1:01
Poornima Ch [IND]  - [IND]  Krupali Karani 21-12 21-14   0:25
P.V.Sindhu, Samhitha J.V, Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin, Gauri Ghate, Ruthvika Shivani, Amelia Sonia Kartika, Lalita Katre, and Tanvi Lad had got a bye in the first round of the event.

Second Round Results:
P.V. Sindhu [1] [IND]  - [IND]  Visalakshi P Kanthi 21-13 21-12   0:25
Samhitha J V [IND]  - [IND]  Sanchali Das Gupta 2-21 21-12 21-19   1:00
Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin [3/4] [INA]  - [IND]  Priya Prakash 21-7 21-9   0:20
Gauri Ghate [IND]   - [IND]  Rewati Deosthale 21-8 21-10   0:25
Daya Elsa Jacob [IND]  - [IND]  Sudha Kalyani D 21-15 21-11   0:24
Amelia Sonia Kartika [3/4] [INA]  - [IND]  Ruthvika Shivani G  21-15 21-19   0:25
Riya Pillai [IND]  - [IND]  Lalita Katre 21-13 21-16   0:22
Tanvi Lad [2] [IND]  - [IND]  Poornima Ch 21-9 21-4   0:19

Quarter-Finals:
P.V. Sindhu [1] [IND]  - [IND]  Samhitha J V  21-8 21-15   0:22
Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin [3/4] [INA]  - [IND]  Gauri Ghate 21-8 21-15   0:31
Daya Elsa Jacob [IND]  - [INA]  Amelia Sonia Kartika [3/4]  21-18 21-23 26-24   1:07
Tanvi Lad [2] [IND]  - [IND]  Riya Pillai  21-16 21-11   0:32

Semi-Finals:
P.V. Sindhu [1] [IND]  - [INA]  Rusydina Antardayu Riodingin [3/4] 21-15 21-12   0:33
Tanvi Lad [2] [IND]  - [IND]  Daya Elsa Jacob 21-15 21-15   0:36

Finals:
P.V. Sindhu [1] [IND] -  [IND] Tanvi Lad [2]  21-23 21-11 21-7

Badminton Net

A Badminton Net divides the badminton court into 2 equal halves. Opponents playing the badminton game take their places on either side of this badminton net, and the objective is to hit the badminton shuttle over this net to the opponents side of the court in such a way that the opponent cannot return it, and it falls to the ground.



Beyond the badminton net

 How high is the Badminton Net?
The Badminton net is supposed to he 5 feet & 1 inch high on the edges (from the ground) & should have 5 feet height in the center of the badminton court. The net is held in place extending it over net posts (net poles) on either side of the court. The chair umpire who is governing the badminton match takes his/her place near one of these net posts.

What are the proper dimensions or size of the badminton net, what should be the width (depth) of the net?
The badminton net dimensions / size should be such that the net should be of 2 feet & 6 inches wide (depth), should stretch across to each side of the badminton court & the top edge should be 5 feet above the ground level at the center of the court.



How are badminton nets made?
Badminton nets are made by using various materials, such as nylon, polyethylene, and vinyl. The materials used to make these nets have changed over time, and will no doubt keep on changing as technological innovations allow for more efficient solutions.

Color of the Net Fibres
The fibres whether natural or artificial that are used for making the net, should be of dark color, to provide for better visibility, and they should be of even thickness, in the range of 15mm to 20mm.

Net tape
The nets are lined with a white tape on the upper side, that has a cord or cable within it, so that the net can be stretched over each of the net posts on either side of the badminton court.

If you are looking to buy a badminton net, it would be wise to consider various aspects such as the durability, and the strength of the net, in comparison with the cost.

The Net Posts / Net Poles
The net posts or net poles as they are called are generally made of good quality steel that make it durable in all kinds of weather, and offer stability to the structure. These posts vary depending on whether the intended use is indoors as in the professional badminton circuits or for external use. The outdoor one should be of the type which can be portable & easily wheeled from here to there, while the indoor net post can be plugged into the wooden floor using proper net post accessories.

Badminton Net Specifications

How tall is the Badminton Net?
Height of the net at the center of the badminton court	5 feet (1.524 metres)
Height of the net at the extreme ends of the court (over the sidelines for doubles)	5 feet 1 inch (1.55 metres)
Badminton Net and Posts - Size/Dimensions/Measurements
Depth of the badminton net		2 feet 6 inches (760 mm in depth)
Length/Width of the badminton net		At least 6.1 metres wide so that it extends over the entire court completely.
Badminton net thickness of mesh/net		15 mm to 20 mm (should be uniform throughout)
Colour of the cords (mesh) of the net		Dark colour
Upper Edge/Lining of the net		75 mm white tape
Badminton Posts (Poles) Height		Should stand at 1.55 metres in vertical length when the net is stretched over the posts (poles)

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Saina Nehwal Ranking

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Saina Nehwal - Current World Ranking - 6

(This ranking is as on 15-Jul-2011)

Saina Nehwal, India's ace badminton player in the women's singles, is currently ranked at No. 6 in the world, as per the Badminton World Federation's badminton rankings.


The Top 6 badminton players in the women's singles as per the current BWF world rankings are:

Shixian Wang (China) - Current World Rank No.1
Yihan Wang (China) - Current Ranking No.2
Xin Wang (China) - Current World Rank No.3
Yanjiao Jiang (China) - Current ranking No.4
Tine Baun (Denmark) - world No.5
Saina Nehwal - Current Ranking No. 6

The best ever world ranking achieved by Saina Nehwal has been the No.2 rank, that shehad got in Aug-2010. The year 2010 had turned out to be a dream year for Nehwal, as she won 3 back to back super series tournaments at Singapore, Indonesia & Hong Kong and also had notched up many other notable wins in the year.

Saina has earlier been quoted as having said that she believes more in winning the tournaments that she participates in & that the rankings will then take care of itself.

In the year 2011, Saina has not yet able to win any superseries titles. Her only title win this year has been at the Swiss Open GP Gold tournament. This has resulted in a slight drop in her world rankings this year, so far.

Related Articles:

Saina Nehwal Profile
Which racket does Saina Nehwal use?
Saina Nehwal and the 7 habits of highly effective people
A day in the Life of Saina Nehwal - Saina Nehwal's Schedule

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Sourabh Verma

Madhya Pradesh lad, Saurabh Verma is one of the best upcoming badminton players from India. He is currently ranked No.1 as per the Indian National rankings released by BAI (Badminton Association of India). He is currently ranked No.239 in the world, however he is known to play much better then this ranking indicates, and the this ranking may be mainly because of the fact that he has not participated in too many international badminton tournaments yet.

Interestingly, while Sourabh is ranked no. 1 in the Senior Rankings, his younger brother Sameer Verma is also following closely on his footsteps and Sameer is currently ranked No.1 in the Indian junior rankings.

Factfile:

Saurabh Verma hails from: Dhar, Madhya Pradesh
He trains at: Gopichand Academy, Hyderabad
Current World Ranking: 239
Current Indian Ranking: No.1 (as on 5-Feb-2011 as per rankings released by BAI)

Notable Achievements:

Saurabh Verma scored an upset win over Thailand's experienced shuttler Suppanyu Avhingsanon 21-13, 18-21, 21-16 at the Tata Open International badminton tourney 2010. Suppanyu had started as a favorite, having reached the finals at the Indian Open in Hyderabad prior to the Tata Open. He finished with 5th position in the tournament.

Sourabh won the All India Senior Ranking tournament held at Atul, Gujarat in Feb-2011, defeating B.Sai Praneeth in the finals. This is his first major ranking title on the senior circuit.

Verma also had reached the Quarter-Finals of the Scottish Open in 2009.

Related Articles

Sourabh Verma wins Senior Ranking, Atul tourney

Sushant ChipalKatti Memorial-2011

The SUSHANT CHIPALKATTI MEMORIAL INDIA JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP-2011 is currently underway at the P. E. Society’s Modern PDMBA Sports Complex, in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

27-Feb Updates added to this article: Related Articles

•        PV Sindhu wins Girls Singles title
•        Srikanth K. wins Boys Singles title
•        Sindhu-Maneesha win Girls Doubles title
•        Srikanth-Nagendra win Boys Doubles title

If you are going to be in Pune this weekend, and want to watch the country's best junior badminton players (the future Nehwals, and Gopichands, and Padukones) in action, this is the place to be at:

 

P. E. Society’s Modern PDMBA Sports Complex
Off Jangli Maharaj Road,
Shivajinagar, Pune 411005
Pune
Maharashtra
India

 

The Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial (SCM) badminton tournament is being conducted since 1998 in the memory of the late Sushant Chipalkatti, who was a 3 times National badminton champion, and who passed away unexpectedly in a tragic train accident in 1996.

 

12 National level editions of the Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial tourrnament have earlier been played, and now the tournament has received a boost, after it has been accorded International status, thus making it an junior international badminton championship.

 

The Badminton events that are being played are:

 

Boys Singles under-19
Girls Singles under-19
Boys Doubles under-19
Girls Doubles under-19

 

Several foreign players from neighbouring Asian countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia are participating in this tournament.

 

The final list of participants for this years tournament are as below

 

[IND] A, Naresh
[INA] Adwitya, Gesstano Ganendra
[IND] Aggarwal, Harshit 
[MAS] Ai Wei Jian
[NEP] Ansari, Irfan
[IND] Arora, Ankit 
[IND] Arora, Nitish Kumar   
[IND] B, Venkatesh
[IND] Bajaj, Shambhavi  
[IND] C., Rohit Yadav
[IND] Ch, Poornima
[IND] Chahal, Ketan 
[IND] Chaitanya, K.P.
[IND] Chaitanya Reddy, K  
[IND] D, Sudha Kalyani
[IND] Das Gupta, Sanchali
[IND] Dbs, Chandu 
[IND] Deosthale, Rewati
[IND] Dey, Shubhankar  
[IND] G, Gopiraju
[IND] G, Ruthvika Shivani
[IND] Gaurav, Sidharth 
[IND] Ghate, Gauri   
[INA] Hadmadi, Fikri Ihsandi   
[MAS] Ikmal Hussain Bin Jaafa
[IND] Imam, Insha  
[IND] J V, Samhitha
[IND] Jacob, Daya Elsa
[IND] Jaiswal, Shreyansh 
[IND] Jha,  Chandrajit
[IND] Jokom, Ribya
[IND] Joshi, Pratul 
[IND] K, Maneesha
[IND] K, Sriteja
[IND] K, Vijetha 
[IND] K., Srikanth
[IND] Karani, Krupali
[INA] Kartika, Amelia Sonia 
[IND] Katre, Lalita
[IND] Kumar, Deeraj  
[IND] Laa, Talar
[IND] Lad, Tanvi
[IND] Limaye, Kalyani 
[IND] M, Sai Tanuj
[IND] M, Venu Madhav
[BAN] Md., Asif Hassan 
[BAN] Md., Mahmuduzzaman
[BAN] Md., Rezaul Karim
[IND] Medsikar, Sudhanshu 
[BAN] Mohammad, Arif Hossain
[IND] Mudaliar, Pooja  
[IND] N V S, Vijetha
[IND] Nag, Trinankur  
[IND] O, Prahas Reddy   
[IND] P Kanthi, Visalakshi
[IND] P.V., Sindhu
[IND] Pillai, Riya 
[IND] Prabhudesai, Anura
[IND] Prakash, Priya  
[IND] Rao, Gangadhar
[IND] Rathee, Surender
[IND] Ravuri, Santosh 
[INA] Riodingin, Rusydina Antardayu   
[IND] S R, Poorvisha
[IND] Safi, Akram
[IND] Sarode, Varun 
[IND] Saxena, Prateek
[IND] Sharma, Shivam
[IND] Singh, Kawaldeep 
[IND] Singh, Rupinder
[IND] Sunil, Arathi Sara  
[IND] T Hema, Nagendra Babu
[NEP] Tamang, Ratnajit
[IND] Thakkar, Anurag 
[IND] Ujjwal, Prakash   
[IND] Verma, Sameer   
[IND] Wadkar, Karishma   
[IND] Yeligar, Abhishek

  

Anup Sridhar out of Austrian Open

Indian badminton player, Anup Sridhar crashed out of Austrian Open men's singles event yesterday (The Austrian International Challenge 2011) when he lost to unseeded qualifier Kenn Lim of Malaysia in the 2nd round. Kenn defeated Anup by a score of 21-17, 21-11.

Anup had earlier won an easy first round against another qualifier Tatsuya Watanabe in the 1st round by a score of 21-11, 21-9.

Kenn Lim, a qualifier, on the other hand had defeated 8th seeded Valery Atrashchenkov of Ukraine 17-21, 21-14, 21-9 in the first round.

The other Indians in the fray had already crashed out of the tournament a day earlier, with Aditi Mutatkar & Aditya Elango having lost in the first round of the tournament.

For more details about the first round read: Aditi, Aditya out of Austrian Open

Aditi, Aditya out of Austrian Open

Austrian International Challenge - 2011

Aditi Mutatkar, India's sole representative in the women's singles event at the Austrian International Challenge 2011 lost against Japanese opponent Hitomi Oka in the first round. Oka, ranked 127  in the world who was playing 80th ranked Aditi for the first time, defeated her 21-15, 17-21, 21-18 in 49 minutes.

In the men's singles, Aditya Elango Abdul Raheem of India (ranked 82) lost in the first round against Vladimir Ivanov (ranked 87) of Russia, 20-22, 21-11, 21-14 in 38 minutes.

Anup Sridhar (ranked 102) had an easy outing in the first round as he was up against qualifier Tatsuya Watanabe of Japan (ranked 335). Anup won the match comfortably by a score of 21-11, 21-9.

Anup will be playing against another qualifier, Kenn Lim of Malaysia (ranked 279) in the second round. Just looking at their comparative rankings can be very deceptive, especially since Kenn Lim has scalped the 8th seeded Valery Atrashchenkov (ranked 76 in the world) in the first round.
So Anup can expect at least a good fight from Kenn Lim in the second round, and needs to be at his best to progress any further.


Next day Update:
Anup Sridhar lost in the 2nd round against Kenn Lim.
Here are more details: Anup Sridhar out of Austrian Open

Arundhati and Guru Sai Dutt win titles

Rising badminton stars Arundhati Pantawane of Maharashtra & R.M.V. Guru Sai Dutt of Andhra Pradesh bagged the women's and men's singles badminton titles at the recently concluded National Games badminton events at Ranchi in Jharkhand.

Arundhati won the Gold medal defeating P.C.Thulasi of Kerala 14-21, 21-17, 21-15 in a tough 3 sets, while Guru Sai Dutt prevailed over Aditya Prakash of Karnataka, 16-21, 21-10, 21-18 in exactly one hour, to clinch the mens gold.

Interestingly both the winners, Arundhati & Guru Sai Dutt are known for their agressive, attacking style of play. Like a noted freedom fighter once said 'He who aggresses, takes the initiative, wins half the war'.

Arundhati also had recently emerged the runner-up at the National badminton championships held last month at Rohtak, that was followed by a Silver medal finish at the Estonian Open.

Kerala win National Games- Badminton

Lesser fancied Kerala, dominated the proceedings in the Badminton team event, at the recently concluded 34th National Games Badminton events held at the Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo Indoor Stadium at Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Kerala won both the men's and the women's badminton team events overcoming the challenge of badminton powers Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra.

Kerala women defeated Andhra Pradesh 2-1 in the women's final, while Kerala's men team edged out Andhra Pradesh 3-2 in thrilling encounters.

Badminton Men's Finals:

Kerala beat Andhra Pradesh 3-2

     H.S. Prannoy defeated K. Nandagopal 21-11, 21-19

     Joy T Antony lost to B. Sai Praneeth 19-21, 21-13, 21-5

     Rupesh Kumar & Sanave Thomas bt Nandagopal & Sai Praneeth 24-22, 21-14

     Sanave Thomas lost to Guru Saidutt 21-6, 21-6

     V. Diju & Arun Vishnu bt Guru Saidutt & K. Tarun 26-28, 21-19, 21-16

Badminton Women's Finals:

Kerala beat Andhra Pradesh 2-1

     Daya Elsa Jacob lost to P.V. Sindhu 21-8, 21-8

     Aparna Balan & P.C. Thulasi bt Jyotsna P & N Sikki Reddy 12-21, 21-13, 21-11

     P.C.Thulasi bt N. Sikki Reddy 21-12, 21-5

Indian badminton players

Indian Badminton players have been performing quite well in recent times. Badminton player Saina Nehwal of India, is in the world's Top 5 womens singles players today. Badminton Womens Doubles pair of Jwala Gutta & Ashwini Ponnappa as also Jwala Gutta-V.Diju pair in the badminton mixed doubles event, are also performing very well.

Here's a list of some of the best & most famous Indian Badminton Players. (Click on the player names to view their complete profiles)

Some of the Best Indian Badminton Players in the Womens Singles badminton event:

Saina Nehwal:  Saina is currently ranked No.4 in the badminton world rankings & is one of India's best hopes in the forthcoming London 2012 Olympic games.

Saina hails from Haryana, a northern state in India, and is currently based in Hyderabad is coached by former badminton star P.Gopichand at the Gopichand badminton academy in Hyderabad in India.

Saina has shown that Indian badminton players can be the best in the world, and has been able to compete on an equal footing with the mighty Chinese badminton players.

 Aditi Mutatkar: Aditi is currently ranked 81 in the badminton world rankings, and barring injuries, she has been quite consistently been ranked in the Top 50 in the badminton world.

She hails from Pune in Maharashtra, India, and has been trained at the Prakash Padukone badminton academy in Bangalore in south India, and also at the academy's feeder centre in Pune.

Aditi is the reigning Indian National Badminton Champion, having won the Indian National badminton championship title in Rohtak in Haryana earlier this year.

Related Article: An Interview with Aditi Mutatkar


Trupti Murgunde:

Indian badminton player Trupti Murgunde, is a former National champion having won the Indian National championship title last year.

Trupti is also ranked in the Top 100 in the world badminton rankings, and has been one of India's best women badminton players for quite a long time.

She also originally hails from Pune in India.


Sayali Gokhale:

Sayali Gokhale is a strong player in the womens singles badminton event & is a former Indian National Champion having won the championship in 2008.

Sayali also hails from Pune, in Maharashtra, India, and is currently ranked 100 in the world.
She has trained at the Padukone academy feeder center at Pune, under the guidance of coach Anil Modak.


Arundhati Pantawane: Arundhati Pantawane is currently ranked No.1 in India as per the Indian National Rankings.

She recently emerged as the runner-up in the Indian National badminton championships held at Rohtak, in Haryana this year, where Aditi won the title. She then went on to win a Silver medal at the Estonian Open, the Gold medal at National Games at Ranchi, and reached the semi-finals of the Polish Open.

Arundhati is well known for her aggressive attacking style of badminton play.

She hails from Nagpur in Maharashtra, India & was initially interested in Athletics before turning to make a career in badminton.

Related Article: An Interview with Arundhati Pantawane


P.V. Sindhu:

15-year old, P.V. Sindhu is one of the best upcoming badminton talents in India, and inspite of being in the Junior category, she is already challenging some of the best Indian badminton players of today.

Many people consider her to become the next Saina Nehwal of India.
She hails from Andhra Pradesh, India.


P.C. Thulasi:

19- year old P.C. Thulasi hails from Pallakad in Kerala in southern India & is one of the fast rising badminton players from India, and is currently in the top 200 in the world.

She recently won the Tata International Open challenge badminton tournament held at Mumbai in late 2010.


Neha Pandit:
Indian badminton player Neha Pandit, also hails from Pune in Maharashtra, India.

She is currently one the best badminton talents in the country in the womens singles badminton event.


Gayatri Vartak:

Indian badminton player Gayatri Vartak, also hails from Pune in Maharashtra, India.

Though she has not won the National title yet, she has performed quite consistently in the National circuit & kept the top players on their toes & she is considered as one of the top 10 Indian badminton players in the women's singles event today.

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There are several other players who are also performing very well on the Indian National circuit & the International circuits at the junior & senior levels.

View list of Top Indian Badminton players alongwith their World Rankings

Some of the Best Indian Badminton players in the Men's Singles event:

Parupalli Kashyap:

P Kashyap is one the top 25 badminton players in the world today, and is undoubtedly one of India's top badminton players in the mens singles.

He hails from Hyderabad in India, and trains at the Gopichand Badminton academy.

In the earlier part of his career, he also stayed at Bangalore & trained at the Prakash Padukone badminton academy.

Ajay Jayaram:

Ajay Jayaram hails from Mumbai in Maharashtra, India and is one of top 50 badminton players in the world.

He alongwith Kashyap, Chetan, Arvind, and Anand Pawar have now become a force to reckon with on the international badminton ciruit.

Chetan Anand:

Chetan Anand hails from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India. He has been one of the best Indian badminton players for quite a long time now.

He has also won the prestigious Arjuna award, which is India's second-highest sporting honour next only to the Khel-Ratna award, for his achievements in badminton.

He has several National & international titles to his credit.

Anand Pawar:

Anand Pawar has also been active on the Indian badminton circuit for quite some time now.

He hails from Mumbai, in India, and is one of the top 50 badminton players in the world today.

Related article: An Interview with Anand Pawar

Arvind Bhat:

31-year old Arvind Bhat is one of the best Indian badminton players even today after the emergence of younger players like P Kashyap on India's badminton scene.

Arvind recently proved this when he clinched the Indian National badminton crown defeating Kashyap en-route to the title.

Arvind hails from Bangalore in India, and has honed his skills at the Prakash Padukone badminton academy over there.

Guru Sai Dutt R.M.V.

20-year old Guru Sai Dutt is a young rising Indian badminton player who is making his mark on the National & international badminton circuits.

He is from Hyderabad in India, and practices his skills at the P Gopichand badminton academy.

He is also supported by the OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) foundation.

Aditya Elango:

Aditya is a talented player from Tamil Nadu in India, and is ranked in the top 100 in the badminton world.

He has not participated in too many domestic tournaments within India last year, and does not have an Indian ranking. However he is keen to prove his mettle on the domestic Indian circuit too.

Related Article: An Interview with Aditya Elango


There are several more talented players, most notably Saurabh Verma, B Sai Praneeth, Anup Shridhar, Sagar Chopda, Oscar Bansal & several others too.

Saurabh Verma is a very promising young player who is currently ranked No.1 as per the Indian National Ranking, and he recently won the Senior Ranking tournament that was held at Atul in Gujarat recently.

Click here to View the list of Best Indian Singles badminton players & Best Indian Doubles badminton pairs alongwith their World Rankings.

Sameer Verma wins boys singles u-19 title

Sameer Verma, currently India Junior #1, won the Boys singles under-19 badminton title at the recently concluded Shree Ganga Dham All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, Haridwar-2011.

Sameer Verma, who hails from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, defeated 3rd seeded Rohit Yadav C. 21-13, 21-18 in the finals.

Verma who started out as the top seed in the tournament, justified his top billing by winning the title. He had a smooth run in the tournament & the only match where he was stretched to 3 sets was in the semi-finals against 4th seed Srikanth K.

Sameer's results from this Haridwar Junior Ranking tournament are as below:

First round:         Sameer Verma (AI) defeated Ketan Chahal 21-10, 21-12
Second round:    Sameer Verma (AI) defeated Abhishek Yeligar with an identical score 21-10, 21-12
Quarter-Finals:   Sameer Verma (AI) defeated 5th seed Vijetha N.V.S. 21-11, 21-10
Semi-Finals:       Sameer Verma (AI) defeated 4th seed Srikanth K. 19-21 21-15 21-10
Final Match:       Sameer Verma (AI) defeated 4th seed Rohit Yadav C. 21-13 21-18

While Sameer Verma is currently India's top rated Junior player, his elder brother Sourabh Verma is currently the Senior India No.1 as per the latest Indian National Rankings.

And to their credit, both the brothers are justifying their rankings by performing well at the Ranking tournaments. While Sameer has won this junior ranking tournament at Haridwar, Saurabh Verma won the Senior Ranking tournament that was held at Atul in Gujarat recently.

Saili Rane wins Girls u-19 title

Thane girl Saili Rane overcame the tough challenge of arch-rival Tanvi Lad of Mumbai in the finals of Girls singles under-19 event at the Shree Ganga Dham All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, at Haridwar-2011. Saili defeated Tanvi 21-10, 16-21, 21-15.

Earlier, in the semi-finals Saili had played out another tough match in which she defeated Gauri Ghate 21-19, 22-24, 21-18.

Saili also paired with Arathi Sara Sunil, in the Girls doubles u-19 event, to win her second title of the tournament, defeating G.Ruthvika Shivani & Poorvisha S.R. 21-13, 21-19 in the finals.

SAILI RANE'S RECENT PERFORMANCES

Jan-2011
Saili played the 75th Senior National Badminton Championships, Rohtak-2010, and lost in the 3rd round against defending champion Trupti Murgunde, 21-10, 21-17.

Dec-2010
Saili Rane joined forces with Air India team-mate Sanyogita Ghorpade in the 35th Junior Inter State Inter Zonal Badminton Championship-2010, to win the SHAFI QUERESHI CUP (GIRLS), defeating teams from Assam, AP, and Maharashtra on their way to win the cup.

Dec-2010
Saili Rane was the runner-up in the Girls Singles u-19 event at the 35th Junior National Badminton Championship-2010. She lost to P.V.Sindhu in the finals. Saili Rane was also the Semi-finalist in the girls doubles u-19 event partnering Sanyogita Ghorpade.

Sep-2010
2nd seeded Saili lost in the quarter-finals against Rituparna Das in the 20th Smt.Krishna Khaitan All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament-2010, GS u-19 event.

Aug-2010
Saili lost to eventual finalist Arundhati Pantawane in the BNDBA All India Senior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament, Bangalore,2010

Jul-2010
Saili was the runner-up at the 10th RSC All India Junior Ranking Tournament, Ernakulam -2010 in the girls singles u-19 event & the winner in the girls doubles event.

Jun-2010
Top seed Saili was knocked out in the first round of the 9th UBI All India Junior Badminton Tournament,Bangalore-2010 by unseeded Nidhi Tiwari 21-14, 21-18

Feb-2010
Saili Rane won the Sushant Chipalkati All India Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament,Pune-2010 defeating Tanvi Lad in the finals.

Jan-2010
Saili had lost to Tanvi in the quarter-finals of the All India Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament,Nellore-2010.

Karishma Wadkar wins Girls under-16 title

Mumbai girl Karishma Wadkar overcame the challenge of her long-time nemesis, and top seed G. Ruthvika Shivani of Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh in a thrilling encounter to emerge the winner in the Shree Ganga Dham All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, held at Haridwar-Feb-2011.

Karishma defeated Ruthvika 15-21 25-23 21-18 to win the Girls Singles Under-16 title.

Karishma had also recently defeated Ruthvika 13-21, 21-15, 24-22 in the finals of the National School Games badminton championships that was held at Balewadi in Pune in Jan-2011, and must have been high on confidence owing to that particular win.

KARISHMA WADKAR'S RECENT PERFORMANCES:

Nov-2010
Karishma was a semi-finalist in the Girls u-16 at the 24th National Sub-junior badminton championships held at Hyderabad in Nov-2010. Ruthvika had defeated Karishma 21-12, 22-20 in the semi-finals.

Sep-2010
Winner of the Sub-Junior Girls Singles title at the Maharashtra Junior Inter-District & State Badminton Championships-2010 held at Latur. Karishma had defeated Revati Devasthale 21-10, 21-9 in the finals.

Sep-2010
Karishma lost 15-21, 5-21 to P.V.Sindhu in the 2nd round of the 20th Smt.Krishna Khaitan All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament-2010 held at Chandigarh.

Jul-2010
Karishma Wadkar was a Semi-finalist at the 10th RSC All India Junior Ranking Tournament, Ernakulam-2010. She lost to Maneesha K. 15-21 21-12 21-13 in the semi-final match.

Jun-2010
Karishma had a dismal showing at the 9th UBI All India Junior Badminton tournament, Bangalore-2010 where she lost in the first round to Devika Ravindra 16-21 21-11 21-15.

Feb-2010
G.Ruthvika Shivani defeated Karishma 17-21 21-13 21-14 in the second round of the All India Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament, Haridwar in 2010.

Jan-2010
D.Sudha Kalyani defeated Karishma Wadkar 21-11 21-17 in the quarter-finals of the Sushant Chipalkati All India Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament, held at Pune-2010.

Jan-2010
Rituparna Das beat Karishma Wadkar 21-11 22-24 21-9 at the All India Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament, at Nellore in Jan 2010.

Oct-2009
Karishma Wadkar lost the Girls Singles u-13 finals of the 23rd Sub Junior National Badminton Championships-2009 at Jaipur, against G.Ruthvika Shivani. Ruthvika had won the match 21-13 21-16.

(Both Karishma & Ruthvika have now graduated to the Under-16 level, and the on-court rivalry continues between the two of them).

Harsheel Dani wins Boys u-16 title

Harsheel Dani, seeded second, overcame the challenge of third seed Arshalan Naqui 21-18, 21-10 to win the boys singles under-16 title at the Shree Ganga dham All-India junior ranking badminton tournament at Haridwar-2011.

For Harsheel, Haridwar turned out to be a lucky venue once again, as he had also won the Boys Singles under-16 title at the All India Junior Major Ranking tournament that was held earlier at Haridwar in Feb last year.

2010:
Harsheel Dani was earlier a semi-finalist at the 24th Sub-junior National badminton championship held at Hyderabad in Nov-2010.

2009:
Harsheel was defeated by K.P.Chaitanya in the 4th Qualifying round at the 23rd Sub-junior National badminton championship held at Jaipur in Oct-2009.

Junior Ranking tourney at Haridwar - updates

Andhra Pradesh girl Ruthvika Shivani has stormed into as many as 4 finals at the ongoing National Junior Ranking tournament at Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
She will be playing in finals of the Girls Singles, the Girls doubles under-16 and under-19 events as well as in the Mixed doubles under-19 finals.

Here are the tournament updates.

Girls Singles - under-19

Saili Rane & Tanvi Lad will be battling it out in the finals of the girls singles event. In the semin-finals, Saili overcame the challenge of Gauri Ghate 21-19, 22-24, 21-18 in a very close match, whereas Tanvi Lad defeated Riya Pillai 21-19, 21-7.

Boys Singles - under-19

Top seed Sameer Verma & third seeded Rohit Yadav C. will be up against each other in the Boys Singles finals. In the semi-finals, Sameer defeated Srikanth K. 19-21, 21-15, 21-10, while Rohit beat Trinankur Nag 21-9, 21-11.

Girls Singles - under-16

The top seed G. Ruthvika Shivani will play against third seed Karishma Wadkar in the finals of the girls under-16 singles event.
In the semi-finals Ruthvika beat Lalita Katre 21-18, 21-19 while Karishma defeated Sudha Kalyani D. 10-21, 21-17, 21-12

Boys Singles - under-16

Arshalan Naqvi & Harsheel Dani will be contesting in the boys under-16 singles event. Third seeded Arshalan defeated the top seed Aditya Joshi 21-13, 21-17 in the semi-finals, while Harsheel beat 4th seeded Chaitanya K.P. 21-13, 21-6.


Doubles events

Girls Doubles -under-16
Sudha Kalyani D. & G. Ruthvika Shivani will be playing the finals against Anoushka Parikh & Karishma Wadkar. - (Note: Ruthvika & Karishma are also up against each other in the singles finals).

Boys Doubles -under-16
Chaitanya K.P & Talar Laa will be up against Harshit Aggarwal & Gangadhar Rao V. in the finals.

Girls Doubles -under-19
G. Ruthvika Shivani & Poorvisha S.R. will be contesting Saili Rane & Arathi Sara Sunil in the finals.

Boys Doubles -under-19
Srikanth K. & Hemanagendra Babu T. are up against Naresh A. & Venkatesh B. in the final.

Mixed Doubles -under-19
Venkatesh B. & G. Ruthvika Shivani will be playing against Hemanagendra Babu T. & Sudha Kalyani D. in the mixed doubles final match.

 

All India Junior Ranking at Haridwar

Haridwar, the popular pilgrimage destination has this month become a must-be-place for the young shuttlers of the country.
The reason for this is the Shree Ganga Dham All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, 2011 that is currently being conducted at Haridwar from 8th to 13th Feb, and which has received participation from as many as 487 young badminton players.

There are a total of 9 badminton events being played, for u-16 & u-19 age groups.

Badminton Events for the Under-16 age group:
BS - Boys singles
GS - Girls singles
BD - Boys doubles
GD - Girls doubles

Badminton Events for the Under-19 age group:
BS - Boys singles
GS - Girls singles
BD - Boys doubles
GD - Girls doubles
XD - Mixed doubles

While Sameer Verma & Saili Rane are the top seeds in the under-19 boys & girls singles, Aditya Joshi & G. Ruthvika Shivani are the top seeds in the under-16 boys & girls singles respectively.

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PV Sindhu, Saurabh Verma win Sr. Ranking Atul tourney

P.V. Sindhu & Saurabh Verma emerged the winners in the womens & mens singles events of the Senior Ranking Badminton tournament conducted at Atul, Gujarat from 31-Jan to 4-Feb-2011.

Sindhu overcame the challenge of Sayali Gokhale in the womens singles finals, defeating the Pune girl 21-14, 21-12, while Saurabh Verma defeated B. Sai Praneeth in a tough 3-set encounter 11-21 21-15 21-19.

In the mens doubles B.Sai Praneeth again had to be content being the Runner-up.The winning pair of Akshay Dewalkar & Arun Vishnu defeated K.Nandagopal & B.Sai Praneeth by a score of 21-11, 21-17.

In the womens doubles P.Jyotsna & P.V.Sindhu claimed the title defeating Meenakshi Nair & Mohita Sahdev by 21-14, 21-11. Thus Sindhu claimed two title wins, having also won the womens singles.

In the mixed doubles, in what was one of the toughest finals of the day, Aparna Balan & Arun Vishnu defeated P.Jyotsna & Akshay Dewalkar by a score of 24-22, 17-21, 21-17. Arun Vishnu thus completed a double title having won the mens doubles also.

Interview with Aditi Mutatkar

Aditi Mutatkar is one of the best badminton players in India today, as also the reigning National Badminton Champion in the women's singles event...I recently had an interview with her, and here's what she had to say...

Q. Aditi, you do not really come from much of a sporting background, do you? How did you happen to take up badminton, and take your game to this level? Pls. tell us abt those early days.

Aditi Mutatkar

Aditi Mutatkar:
My mom did play kabaddi and kho-kho in her college days. My dad wasnt really a sportsperson but more of a sportslover. He played outdoor badminton as a hobby in mumbai. He used to take me along to play. I started when i was 9. Soon i started giving all his friends quite a tough time. I started loving the game since.

My first coach was Santosh Kshatriya. He taught me the game and also installed in me a great work ethic, for which i thank him even today. He made working hard a habit and i think that helped me a lot to shape my future. My early days are something that i will always cherish. They definitely made me who i am.

Q. You lived in Mumbai, before shifting base to Pune, isnt it? So what do you prefer being called, a Mumbai-kar or a Pune-kar? & where does your heart lie, mumbai or pune? how has been the experience at both places?

Aditi Mutatkar :
Thats a really difficult question to answer. Pune is home and nothing can really take its place. It has a lot of culture and history which does make you proud. Punekars are just very relaxed people, the pace of life here is very comfortable, though bombay is and will always be my first love.

The spirit of Mumbaikars is mind blowing. Its a very tough life there and as a city its really a place where only the fittest survive. the local trains, the crowd, the traffic, the chowpatty.....I just love it all. Though today badminton wise i think pune is doing much better as the infrastructure and facilities go. Mumbai as a city did produce a lot of great players but today there are very few good players there, which i think is sad.

Q. You have travelled to so many countries for badminton tournaments. Apart from India which are your favorite badminton destinations & why?

Aditi Mutatkar :
Yes, as a player I do get too travel a lot. I love travelling and I love to explore. The two best destinations for me will be Mauritius and Paris. Mauritius is really beautiful. The water there is crystal clear, and the food brilliant.

Though my most favorite city would be Paris hands down. each and every building there is a work of art. The eiffel tower, the churches, the restaurants, everything is just so beautiful. When i'm in paris i always cycle around and walk. Paris is a city which you can never get enough of, its a place which has a new story to tell every single day.

Q. Ok. So, you are now THE National Badminton champion. What next? What are your goals, dreams & plans for the future?
Aditi Mutatkar :
Being national champion was great. As a young player you always want that tag attached to you. Next is to do well in the international circuit. Due to my injuries I couldnt really do too well last year, i am somewhere around the 80s right now, my aim is to be top 40 by the end of the year. I believe in making short term goals and keeping it realistic. I of course have dreams but right now its more important in setting practical and real goals and achieve them.

Q. Aditi, wish you a very long & very successful badminton career. Just out of curiosity, I ask this question. Have you ever thought about life after badminton? What would you like to pursue in life later on?
Aditi Mutatkar :
Yes i have thought about life after badminton. i wish to study a little more and also may be write. but my ultimate dream is to set up an ngo that helps poor kids with their education. i think majority of the kids in india dont even have a choice to take up education. if i can give a few of them that in my modest way i will be real happy.

Q. Pls. tell us about the knee injury that you suffered, and how you overcame that difficult phase of your life? Did your life change? Do you feel fighting fit now?
Aditi Mutatkar :
I am feeling great right now as the knee and fitness goes. My knee injury did change my life as a player and a person. I have learned a lot. It has made me really strong as a person. I am now not really scared of challenges. Through my tough phases there were a lot of people who supported me. My family, Prakash sir, Vimal sir, Balan sir, Hemant sir, and recently my trainer Darshan Wagh.
The great thing was nobody ever doubted the fact that I will still do well with the injuries. There confidence in me, helped me to never lose faith.

Q. Saina Nehwal. Is she beatable? If yes, What's stopping you? When can fans expect to see Aditi & Saina battling it out for a Super Series title?
Aditi Mutatkar :
Saina has done great things for badminton. though if i say i can never beat her or any other top ten player in the world it would be better that i hang up my boots. everyone is beatable, though ofcourse it will take immense amount of hardwork and that i am pretty ready to put in. i cant really predict the future but i do hope that a super series final happens soon.

Q. You are popular as a singles player. Have you ever tried your hand at doubles?
Aditi Mutatkar : Nope i never have and dont intend to.

Q. How do you think Badminton in India will be 5 years from now?
Aditi Mutatkar : India has a great future ahead we have some great juniors coming up. i really hope that the association and the government make all the right moves and help these juniors in each and every way to bring laurels to the country.

Q. What according to you needs to be done, to promote badminton in India at grass-root levels?
Aditi Mutatkar :
I think firstly we should have a lot of domestic tournaments for the juniors. The talented kids should be selected and given an opportunity to train in the bigger centres like tata academy and the gopichand academy.

Q. Want to pass on any message to the readers?
Aditi Mutatkar : Just be yourself. Dont change for anybody. Follow your own path and believe in it.


Thanks for your time, Aditi.
Wish you all the very best for your badminton career & all your future endeavours.


Must reads:

Know more about your favorite Badminton players: Badminton Player Profiles
All the recent Badminton News: Latest Badminton News and Updates
Interviews of Badminton players: Badminton Players Interviews
Interesting articles about badminton: Badminton Articles
Know about the basics of Badminton here: Badminton Basics

More on Badminton:
Are you ready to take this Badminton quiz: Badminton Quiz
Who hit the fastest badminton smash: Badminton Smash world record
Where and how did Badminton originate: Badminton history
What exactly is Super series, Grand Prix etc: Badminton tournaments

And lots more on badminton at this site. Keep reading and Enjoy.

Sr.Ranking badminton at Atul- updates

Here are the results of the Qualification rounds of the Senior Ranking badminton tournament being held from 31st Jan to 4th Feb at Atul in Gujarat.

Mens Singles Qualifying rounds results:

Tough competition marked the qualifying rounds of the Senior ranking tournament being held at Atul in Gujarat India. This was especially so in the Mens Singles event where the participant size for qualifiers was 128>8 which meant there were only 8 players who could get a place in the main draw. To be precise, a total of 103 players were playing to get a berth in the main event of the mens singles.

The final 8 men who found their way through this maze & got into the main draw were:

1. Akshay Dewalkar (who is more well known for his doubles skills)
2. Pawan Malik
3. Saarang Lakhanee
4. C Rohit Yadav
5. Subhankar Dey (who prevailed over Aditya Elango in 3 sets)
6. Ankush Joshi
7. Manish Gupta
8. Oscar Bansal (who is one of the better ranked players in world rankings)

Womens Singles Qualifying rounds results:

Compared to the mens singles, the womens singles were comparatively a much simpler affair with very less participants and hence lesser competition. The field size was 16>8 with 12 players competing for 8 available slots in the main draw.

The final 8 girls who qualified for the main draw were:
1. Jui Agaskar
2. N.Sikki Reddy
3. V.Jyothi Swarupa
4. S.Archana
5. Girishma Anand
6. Shambhavi Bajaj
7. Rucha Nikam
8. Swati Joon

Mens Doubles qualifying rounds results:

The field size was 64>4, and the final 4 pairs who made it to the main draw were:

1. H.S.Prannoy & B.Sumeeth Reddy
2. Abhindya Sawant & Prasad Shetty
3. Antony Joy T. & Thomas Kurian
4. Arup Baidya & Sachin Ratti

The Womens doubles & Mixed doubles events did not have any qualifying rounds.

Reference: tournamentsoftware.com