Ritika-Simran triumph in Mauritius International Badminton tournament
June 11, 2018
Junior India No. 1 pair of Ritika Thaker and Simran Singhi stamped their authority in the senior section too when they emerged women’s doubles champions in the Mauritius International Badminton tournament which concluded at Rose Hill in Mauritius on Sunday.
Second seeded pair of Ritika (Nagpur) and Simran (Mumbai) toppled the top seeds Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq of Maldives 21-17, 21-12 in a one-sided summit clash.
Ritika and Simran, who are ranked 154 in the world, got off to a scratchy start in the final but as the match progressed they dominated the Maldives opponents to clinch yet another international title.
Combining well like seasoned campaigners, Ritika and Simran surprised Maldives twins, who are ranked 149 in the world.
It was their second international title. Last year, Ritika and Simran had bagged their maiden title at the Ivory Coast International tourney. The duo also triumphed at the Isreal Junior meet in 2016.
Earlier in the semifinal, Ritika and Simran humbled Vilina Appiah and Mandira Lubah of Mauritius 21-11, 21-4 in just 18 minutes.
However in the women’s singles, Ritika was beaten in the quarterfinal. Top seed Katerina Tomalova of Czech Republic rallied back strongly to overcome the stiff challenge from Ritika 15-21, 21-18, 21-16 in 51 minutes.
“We are very happy with the win and it gives us great confidence going ahead in our career. We hope to carry the momentum forward in the upcoming Asian Junior Badminton Championship (U-19) and give our best shot at the elite Asian Continental tournament and return with medal,” an elated Ritika said after the match from Mauritius.
Seventeen-year-old Ritika, who trains at the Ajay Dayal Badminton Academy, will now travel directly to Bangalore to compete in the All India Senior Ranking tournament. Next week she will feature in the Hyderabad All India tourney.
“It was a proud moment for Ajay Dayal Badminton Academy. One of our trainees winning the international title is certainly a great achievement for all of us. She will now focus on the domestic circuit to imrpove her rankings in the senior category,” said coach Ajay Dayal.
Ritika, who is ranked India No. 1 in the girls doubles, is a Standard XII student of Hislop College. Both Ritika and Simran are supported by Li Ning.
