Rithvik stuns Kiran, Raghav shuts out Tharun; AP’s Surya takes on Tanvi in women’s final

On a day of stunning results, unseeded Rithvik Sanjeevi S of Tamil Nadu pulled up the biggest upset of the semifinals as he overcame top seed Kiran George of RBI in a thrilling three-game semifinal of the Yonex-Sunrise 87th Senior National Badminton Championships at the Chennupati Ramakotaiah Indoor Stadium in Vijayawada on Saturday.

As if the shock was not enough, seventh seed Haryana shuttler Bharat Raghav shunted out second seed M Tharun of Telangana in three games to make the final.

In a keenly contested match, Rithvik managed to keep Kiran at bay. Rithvik took the first game at 21-16 but Kiran fought back into contention by taking the second game at 21-17. With the scores tied 1-1, both players dished out their best in the decider. They fought tooth-and-nail as it was a battle for every point. Rithvik managed to pip Kiran in the decider 22-20 and take his spot in the men’s singles final.

In the second semifinal, Raghav took the first game at 21-17 but Tharun fought back into contention with a superb show in the second game. The Telangana shuttler dished out a fabulous show to take the game comfortably at 21-11. However, Raghav was not to be denied his glory as he came back strongly to take the final game 21-11 and make the grade.

Andhra Pradesh’s fifth seed Surya Charishma Tamiri celebrates her victory over Telangana shuttler Rakshitha Sree S in the semifinals of the Yonex-Sunrise 87th Senior National Badminton Championships at the Chennupati Ramakotaiah Indoor Stadium in Vijayawada on Saturday

In the women’s singles, Andhra Pradesh’s fifth seed Surya Charishma Tamiri kept the hosts’ flag flying high. In what turned out to be a grimly fought semifinal, Telangana’s unseeded Rakshitha Sree S gave her fancied rival a run for her money. The Telangana shuttler kept pace with the fifth seed in the first game but finally conceded defeat at 18-21. However, Rakshitha found her groove in the second game to stun Surya. Rakshitha took the game at 21-18 to level the scores and take the tie to the decider. A stunned Surya pulled up her socks and changed tactics. The move paid rich dividends as she ran away with the game quite easily. She won it 21-9 to reach the final.

Maharashtra’s Shruti Mundada’s giant-killing act came to an end on Saturday in the second semifinal. The shuttler, who had slayed a couple of seeds on way to the last four, found her match in Tanvi Patri of Odisha. Shruti took the first game 21-18 and it looked as if she was good to storm into the final. However, the 14-year-old Tanvi, who won the U-15 title at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in 2024 and is the only Indian to win this title, had different ideas. She stepped up the gas and ran away with the second game at 21-12 and then took the decided at 21-15.

In the mixed doubles, things went according to the script as top seeds Ashith Surya and Amrutha P of Karnataka will clash with second seeds K Sathwik Reddy of Telangana and Radhika Sharma of Punjab in the final on Sunday.

No.1 seeded Ashith and Amrutha had to play out of their skins as they were taken to the distance by third seeded pair Deep Rambhiya and Sonali Mirkhelkar of Maharashtra. The top seeds went down tamely in the first game as they lost it 8-21. However, they pulled up their socks on time to make it a contest. They took the second and third games to emerge victorious, but it was not without much struggle. Ashith and Amrutha won the next two games 21-18, 21-18 but due credit should be given to the Maharashtra shuttlers who stayed in the match till the very end.

In the second semifinal, Sathwik and Radhika had an easy time against Nitin Kumar and Kanika Kanwal of Railways. They won 21-13 and 21-14.

The women’s doubles semifinals too didn’t see any upset as form book prevailed. Second seeds Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra defeated eighth seeds Aparna Balan and Simran Singhi 21-19, 21-14. In the second semifinal, third seeds Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K defeated unseeded pair Vennala K and Reshika U 21-11, 21-15.

Results (Semifinals): Women’s singles: 5-Surya Charishma Tamiri (AP) beat Rakshitha Sree S (TS) 21-18, 18-21, 21-9; Tanvi PATRI (ORI) beat Shruti Mundada (MAH) 18-21, 21-12, 21-15.

Women’s doubles: 2-Priya Devi Konjengbam/ Shruti Mishra (MNP/UP) beat 8-Aparna Balan/ Simran Singhi (PET/MAH) 21-19, 21-14; 3-Shikha Gautam/ Ashwini Bhat K (KTK) beat Vennala K/ Reshika U (TS/TN) 21-11, 21-15.

Men’s singles: Rithvik Sanjeevi S (TN) beat 1-Kiran George (RBI) 21-16, 17-21, 22-20; 7-Bharat Raghav (HAR) bt Tharun M (TS) 21-17, 11-21, 21-11.

Mixed doubles: 1-Ashith Surya/ Amrutha P (KTK) beat 3-Deep Rambhiya/ Sonali Mirkhelkar (MAH) 8-21, 21-18, 21-18; 2-Sathwik Reddy K/ Radhika Sharma (TS/PNB) beat Nitin Kumar/ Kanika Kanwal (RLY) 21-13, 21-14.