Pune shuttlers Darshan Pujari and Purva Barve enjoyed a rewarding day winning the men’s and women’s singles crowns respectively in the Yonex Sunrise Shri Nandu Natekar Memorial Maharashtra State Senior Inter District (Team) and State Badminton Championship 2024, conducted under the auspices of Maharashtra Badminton Association (MBA) and Badminton Association for Mumbai Upanagar (BAMU) and in association with ShuttleCraze and played at the Goregaon Sports Club courts on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Pujari, the defending champion, overcame compatriot 24-year-old Rishabh Deshpande, winning in two straight games at 21-19, 21-19 in the well-contested men’s final.
Earlier, the 24-year-old Barve, put to good advantage against Thane’s 18-year-old Aarya Koregaonkar, clinching a 17-21, 21-7, 21-11 victory in the women’s final.
The Thane teenager Koregaonkar did well to win crucial points against Barve, who was struggling to find her feet exploited the situation, and pocketed the first game.
But the wily Barve, with a clever tactical change and a flawless shot execution, dominated the rallies against the youngster in the second, which she won comfortably to level the scores. In the decider, Barve continued to dictate terms before closing the contest with a cross-court smash that Koregaonkar returned into the net.
The men’s summit clash was a close affair and the scores ran close throughout the two games. Deshpande had his chances and he led 19-18 in both games but failed to put the finishing touches. Pujari, exhibited tremendous fighting spirit and stayed focused to win the last three crucial points to win the two games and wrap up the contest in his favour.
Results – Women’s singles (Semi-finals): Purva Barve (Pune) bt 1-Saad Dharmadhikari (Pune) 21-14, 21-6;
Aarya Korgaonkar (Thane) bt Siya Singh (Thane) 21-16, 21-14.
Final: Purva Barve (Pune) bt Aarya Korgaonkar (Thane) 17-21, 21-7, 21-11.
Men’s singles (Semi-final): Rishabh Deshpande (Pune) bt 1-Varun Kapur (Pune) 21-12, 6-21, 23-21;
Darshan Pujari (Pune) bt Aditya Tripathi (Thane) 21-15, 21-11.
Final: Darshan Pujari (Pune) bt Rishabh Deshpande (Pune) 21-19, 21-19.
