Aalisha Naik wins twin titles

Photo Caption: From left to right - Dr. Rustom Mody, Mangrish Palekar, Hon. Secretary, GMBA, Ayaz Bilawala, Hon. Secretary-Badminton, Bombay Gymkhana, Shyam Bhatia, Owner Alam Steel group and Founder, Cricket for Care, Aparna Popat, Former 9 Time National champion, Ms. Supriya Devgun, Founder & Managing Director, Badminton Gurukul with all the winners of Gautam Thakkar Sub Junior Badminton Championship. 

Mumbai: Top-seeded Aalisha Naik continued her dominating run and grabbed two titles after she defeated Kamya Ravi twice, first in the Girls under-15 and then under-17 category with a 21-15, 21-12 and 21-13, 21-7 scoreline respectively at the Gautam Thakkar Sub Junior Badminton Championship supported by Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care foundation, promoted by Badminton Gurukul and hosted by Bombay Gymkhana here on Sunday.

Kamya who was also in line for a dual-title seemed quite comfortable in handling Aalisha's attack in the early stages of the game. Aalisha soon became aware of Kamyas weak areas and came back with a bang after the interval to score back to back points and race to a 21-15 win. Aalisha had the 2nd game in her control from the start and did not face any challenges on her way to a 21-12 win to take the U-15 title. With the Boys U-13 and U-15 ties getting over in straight games, both the players found themselves on the court sooner than they expected. Aalisha was at her absolute best with her top-class shots and shattered a tired Kamya making her run all around the court and secure a dominating 21-13, 21-7 victory to clinch the U-17 crown. Riya Vinherkar emerged as the Girls under-13 champion after she fought hard and outplayed Vedika Kulkarni  21-14, 21-17.

Meanwhile, in an uneventful Boys U-17 finals, Siddharth Bhuta thumped Malhar Joshi 21-6, 21-9 to take the trophy in a match that lasted less than 20 mins.  Later, Saransh Gajbhiye got the better off Harsh Sharma with 21-16, 21-16 victories to win the Boy's U-15 title. 

Results (All Finals): Boys U-17: Siddharth Bhuta bt Malhar Joshi 21-6, 21-9; Boys U-15: Saransh Gajbhiye bt Harsh Sharma 21-16, 21-16; Boys U-13: Oskar Matthew bt Malhar Mehendale 21-9, 21-4

Girls U-17: Aalisha Naik bt Kamya Ravi 21-13, 21-7; Girls U-15: Aalisha Naik bt Kamya Ravi 21-15, 21-12; Girls U-13 Riya Vinherkar bt Vedika Kulkarni 21-14, 21-17