Date:05/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/05/stories/2009010558641800.htm

Sport - Badminton

Sathya-Roy Mathew triumph

Sports Reporter

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

THE CHAMPS: Winners of the Mylapore Club badminton tournament pose with officials.

Chennai: Sathya and Roy Mathew prevailed over Suzanne and Muthukumarasamy in a thrilling three-game mixed doubles final between two MRC pairs at the Mylapore Club inter-club badminton tournament here on Sunday.

The final game oscillated with the same frequency as the audience’s eyeballs following the rapid-fire rallies. Sathya’s deft racquet head was perhaps responsible for the shot of the match, a crosscourt drop shot into an empty forecourt space, a space her field of vision did miraculously to spot, having narrowed considerably in fending off two smashes within the space of a second from Roy Mathew that came straight at her midriff.

And so it went till 26-all, when first Muthukumaraswamy and then Suzanne found the net in successive rallies to hand their opponents the set and the match 20-22, 21-18, 28-26.

Double of doubles

Roy Mathew later completed a double of doubles titles, partnering Maran to win the men’s doubles 21-18, 21-16 against Subhikshan Vallabhan and Raja Rajan of Mylapore Club.

In the veterans’ doubles, Surendar and N.R. Reddy of League club beat the MRC duo of Karthikeyan and Viswanathan 16-21, 21-14, 21-12.

P.B. Santhanakrishnan, Secretary of the Mylapore Club, gave away the trophies.