Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s Dr Manju Khandeparker and the men’s doubles pair of Pradeep Dhond and Tanaji Sawant delivered commendable performances, securing bronze medals at the 47th Yonex Sunrise Indian Masters National Badminton Championships at Peddem. In the Women’s Singles 60+ semifinals, Dr Manju put up an intense fight but fell to top-seed Manjusha Sahasrabuddhe (Maharashtra) [1], 18-21, 4-21. Meanwhile, in the Men’s Doubles 70+ category, Pradeep Dhond and Tanaji Sawant bowed out against Kerala’s Abdul Latheef Kunju and Cleflend Mendez, losing 9-21, 12-21.
The prestigious championship, organized by the Goa Badminton Association under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and in collaboration with the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG), served as a crucial selection event for the BWF World Seniors Championships to be held later this year in Thailand.
In the finals, some of India’s top-ranked veteran players reaffirmed their dominance. Ram Lakhan (PNB) [1] clinched the Men’s Singles 60+ title with a 21-15, 21-12 victory over Telangana’s Murthy A. V. S. Maharashtra’s Manjusha Sahasrabuddhe [1] continued her fine form, securing the Women’s Singles 60+ crown, defeating Karnataka’s Jyothi Somaiah 21-11, 21-7. In the Men’s Singles 55+ final, reigning World champion Rajeev Sharma (CAG) [1] emerged victorious, defeating Murali Subramaniyam (Maharashtra) 21-17, 21-16 to claim the national title.
The Men’s Doubles 60+ final was a thrilling contest, with top seeds Ram Lakhan and Harjit Singh (PNB/DLI) [1] losing to Kerala-Maharashtra duo Shibu Andrews and John 23-25, 21-9, 21-13. In the Men’s Doubles 55+ final, Sanyasi Rao Ch. and Vibhor Swaroop (AP/UP) [1] edged past the Assam / CAG duo of Bijoy Barman and Rajeev Sharma 21-16 21-16.
In the Women’s events, the Women’s Doubles 60+ title went to Manik Paranjpe and Manjusha Sahasrabuddhe (Maharashtra) [1], who defeated Surekha Satam and Jyothi Somaiah (Maharashtra/Karnataka) 21-14, 21-13. The Women’s Doubles 55+ final saw Sangeeta Rajgopalan and Poonam Tatwawadi (Chhattisgarh/Madhya Pradesh) [4] emerge victorious over Rajshree Bhave and Deepali Joshi (Maharashtra) 21-18, 21-19.
In the Women’s Doubles 70+ category, Punita Nagalia and Susy V. John (Uttarakhand/Kerala) displayed dominance, beating Anita Kothiala and Saroja (Gujarat/Karnataka) 21-5, 21-8. The Mixed Doubles 55+ title was clinched by Lingeswara Rao and Suzanne Venglet(AP/TN), who triumphed over Kiran Makode and Poonam Tatwawadi (Maharashtra/Madhya Pradesh) in a thrilling three-game match, 16-21, 21-18, 21-17.
The week-long tournament witnessed intense competition across various age categories, with India’s finest veteran shuttlers battling for national glory and the opportunity to represent the country on the world stage. Besides Dr Manju and Dhond / Sawant, Sandhya Melasheemi and Leena Pednekar are the other Goa players to have qualified for the World Masters championships.
