Arundhati fails to cross final hurdle at All India Ranking Badminton tournament

NAGPUR: Experienced campaigner Arundhati Pantawane's comeback bid was foiled by young Shriyanshi Pardeshi in the final of the Dorjee Khandu All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament which concluded at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Sunday.
In a thrilling final between two Pullela Gopichand Academy trainees, which lasted for exactly an hour, seventh seed Shriyanshi Pardeshi squeezed past Arundhati 21-13, 17-21, 23-21.
Unseeded Arundhati had her chances in the third and final game but just could not finish it off.An extended decider was clinched by Shriyanshi, a teenager from Indore, much to the frustration of Arundhati, a former India No. 1.
Arundhati, who was making a comeback on the national circuit after recovering from her knee surgery, had started well and thumped Haryana's Lalita Dahiya 21-9, 21-13 in the opener.
In the second round, Arundhati upset eighth seed Kanika Kanwal of Air India 21-16, 19-21, 21-13. The 27-year-old had an easy quarterfinal when she ousted Ashmita Chaliha of Assam 21-14, 21-17 in just 20 minutes.
The major breakthrough for Arundhati came in the semi-final with a brilliant come-from-behind win on Saturday. In an all-Gopichand Academy student battle, Arundhati carved out a hard-fought three-game victory over third seed K Sri Krishna Priya of Telangana.
Arundhati, who married to Indian doubles player Arun Vishnu early this year, lost the first game quite easily but fought back in style and registered a 14-21, 21-13, 21-16 win in 45 minutes to storm into the final after a gap of couple of years.
Arundhati was disappointed to lose the final but pleased with her effort in the last week.
"Yes I am disappointed. It was a tough luck for me. I should have won the deciding game. Even she (Shriyanshi) played well. I am playing finals after almost two year's gap. So it feels good but triumph could have been even sweeter," Arundhati told TOI from Itanagar.
"This final will surely boost my confidence. I would like to thank my coaches, parents, Arun and my sponsors Vishvaraj Infrastructure," added Arundhati.