M. Raghu of Karnataka won his first Senior National Championship men’s singles title at the Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA) courts on Tuesday. He defeated Railways’ Mithun Manjunath 14-21, 21-14, 24-22. Raghu was not ranked high enough to receive a straight admission into the draw. He made it in because the KBA was persuaded by his ability. Decided to offer him one of the two extra spots intended for hosts.
And he proved it was a great decision by taking the humdinger and adding the individual gold to the historic team triumph he won with Karnataka last week. In contrast, there was no drama in the women’s singles final. Haryana’s Devika Sihag, 19, won her first National title with an easy 21-15, 21-16 victory over Telangana’s Shriyanshi Valishetty. Two childhood friends Raghu M and Mithun Manjunath, started playing the sport together.
They were 10 years old and knew each other’s games like their own. And on Tuesday, in a tightly contested match between the 26-year-old competitors, Raghu held his nerve a little better to emerge champion of the Karnataka Badminton Association. After an error-filled start and facing three match points at the finish, Raghu became only the second Karnataka man to win the primary domestic men’s singles title, succeeding Prakash Padukone in 1979.
Raghu Triumphs in Controversial Showdown
On a quick court that favours aggressive play, the player with a strong net game would have the advantage. The Mandya kid, who trains at the Yadav Pro Badminton Academy (YPBA) in the city, took the front court early on, but Bengaluru’s Mithun responded with well-planned strategies. However, Mithun, the world’s number 80, moved closer to the finish line by taking a 19-16 lead. Raghu, ranked 107, scored three consecutive points, bringing the score to 19-19.
Mithun scored three match points, but Raghu responded to win 24-22 on his first match point. M Raghu after the win said, “There were some great points exchanged between us and we were enjoying ourselves. Though we were not shouting or celebrating out of respect, it was a competitive match.”
