Badminton Nationals: Surya Charishma Tamiri and Rithvik Sanjeevi claim singles titles

Surya Charishma Tamiri and Rithvik Sanjeevi S emerged as the new singles champions at the Senior National Badminton Championships, clinching the women’s and men’s titles respectively in Vijayawada on Sunday.

Backed by strong home support, 19-year-old Surya Charishma produced a composed comeback to defeat Tanvi Patri 17-21, 21-12, 21-14 in the women’s singles final.

The 58-minute contest lived up to expectations, with both players testing each other through long rallies and sharp exchanges. Tanvi, bidding to become the youngest senior national champion, controlled large parts of the opening game and forced errors from the local favourite to take an early lead.

A key moment came early in the second game when Surya Charishma received a reprieve after a service fault call went in her favour. She capitalised immediately, stringing together seven straight points to seize momentum.

In the decider, Surya Charishma drew Tanvi into extended rallies, and the physical toll began to show on the younger player. From 15-14, the eventual champion reeled off six consecutive points to close out the match and secure her maiden senior national title.

In the men’s singles final, Rithvik Sanjeevi displayed maturity and tactical discipline to overcome Bharat Raghav 21-16, 22-20. After taking the opening game comfortably, Rithvik faced resistance in the second as Bharat surged ahead.

The Odisha Masters 2024 winner responded with a six-point run to regain control. Although Bharat saved match points and forced a tense finish, Rithvik held his nerve to seal victory in 39 minutes.

Doubles titles decided

The experienced pairing of Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K won the women’s doubles title with a straight-games victory over Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra. In men’s doubles, top seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and R Ruban Kumar claimed the crown, while Sathwik Reddy K and Radhika Sharma upset the top seeds to lift the mixed doubles title.