Date:30/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113055801400.htm

Sport

Sumeeth, Sikki are champions

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Top-seeded B. Sumeeth Reddy and N. Sikki Reddy, both from Andhra Pradesh, won the boys’ and girls’ under-19 singles titles respectively in the Krishna Khaitan all-India junior major ranking badminton tournament at the Gopi Chand Academy here on Saturday.

Sumeeth put it across a fighting unseeded H.S. Pranay of Kerala 21-15, 18-21, 21-17 while Sikki downed third-seeded P.C. Thulasi (Kerala) 21-19, 21-12. Sikki later won the doubles title also.

P.V. Sindhu, daughter of former volleyball international and Arjuna Awardee P.V. Ramana, won the girls’ under-16 singles title defeating unseeded Manisha 21-13, 21-18 and later combined with her to win the doubles title too getting the better of Uttara Prakash and Arathi Sarasuneel 21-13, 18-21, 21-14.

Divya delights

The cynosure of all eyes was the diminutive Divya Harsha who first won the girls under-10 singles title defeating Kanika Kanwal of Delhi 21-19, 15-21, 22-20 and later teamed up with her to clinch the doubles title with a 12-21, 21-19, 22-20 win over Niveda Srinivasan and Sreya Bose of Puducherry.

L.V. Subrahmanyam, IAS, gave away the prizes.

The results (all finals): Boys: U-19: Singles: B. Sumeeth Reddy (AP) bt H.S. Pranay (Ker) 21-15, 18-21, 21-17.

Doubles: B. Sai Praneeth (AP) & Pranav Chopra (Har) bt Aditya Prakash (AP) & Pratik Patel (AI) 18-21, 21-12, 21-15.

U-16: Singles: Sameer Varma (MP) bt Pratul Joshi (MP) 21-14, 21-17.

Doubles: K. Srikanth & A. Naresh (AP) bt O. Prahas (AP) & Bhaskar Chakravarthy (Del) 21-14, 21-17.

U-13: Singles: K.P. Chaitanya (AP) bt Aditya Joshi (MP) 21-18, 21-16.

Doubles: Harsheel Dani (Mah) & Aditya (MP) bt K.P.Chaitanya & C. Upendra (AP) 21-16, 21-16.

U-10: Singles: Sai Siril Varma (AP) bt Anirudh Sankar (AP) 21-18, 21-19.

Doubles: Sai Siril Varma & Anirudh (AP) bt G. Jaswanth & Abdul Rehman (AP) 21-9, 21-12.

Girls: U-19: Singles: N. Sikki Reddy (AP) bt P.C. Thulasi (Ker) 21-19, 21-12.

Doubles: Sikki (AP) & Thulasi (Ker) bt Pradya Godra & Sweta Kelkar (Mah) 14-21, 27-25, 21-10.

U-16: Singles: P.V. Sindhu (AP) bt Manisha (AP) 21-13, 21-18.

Doubles: Sindhu & Manisha (AP) bt Uttara Prakash (Kar) & Arathi Sarasuneel (Ker) 21-13, 18-21, 21-14.

U-13: Singles: Reshma Karteek (Kar) bt Rutparna Das (WB) 21-14, 21-15.

Doubles: G. Rutvika (AP) & Ruptaran Das (WB) bt Anushka & Karishma (Mah) 21-16, 21-17.

U-10: Singles: Divya Harsha (AP) bt Kanika Kanwal (Dli) 21-19, 15-21, 22-20.

Doubles: Divya (AP) & Kanika (Del) bt Niveda Srinivasan & Sreya Bose (Puducherry) 12-21, 21-19, 22-20.