In the end, Kerala could not win even a single game. Andhra was just too good for the host as it won the South Zone inter-State badminton championship in the most convincing of fashions.
Andhra won the final 3-0. It was given a great start by its mixed doubles team of D. Sudha Kalyani and R. Satwik Sai Raj, who overcame what was a formidable combination of K.P. Sruthi and S. Sunjith 21-12, 21-15.
If there was a player-of-the-match award, it would have gone to Satwik, who unleashed some brilliant smashes from the back of the court with remarkable regularity. Kalyani proved an able foil him.
Then, in the men’s singles, M. Kanishq did not allow the talented Mohammed Munawar to reproduce the shots he brought out a day earlier in the semifinal against Daniel S. Farid of Karnataka.
A little later, Kanishq’s sister, M. Tanishq completed the job, as she won the women’s singles against Niranjana Anil, much to the delight of the Andhra coach J.B.S. Vidyadhar.
“We all know that Kerala’s men’s and women’s doubles teams are too good, so I was relieved when Tanishq won her singles,’ he said. “We were not expecting to win 3-0, but all our players played really well.”
There was more joy for Andhra; it won the junior title, defeating neighbouring Telangana 3-1 in the final.
The results:
Senior (final): Andhra bt Kerala 3-0 (D. Sudha Kalyani & R. Satwik Sai Raj bt K.P. Sruthi & S. Sunjith 21-12, 21-15; M. Kanishq bt Mohammed Munawar 21-8, 21-14; M. Tanishq bt Niranjana Anil 21-14, 21-18).
Semifinals: Andhra bt Telangana 3-2 (Kalyani & V. Harika bt B. Sahithi & J. Shrisi 21-18, 21-17; Kanishq lost to B. Kiran Kumar Yadav 16-21, 21-12, 18-21; Krishna Prasad & Satwik bt D. Gopal Krishna Reddy & G. Aditya Bapineebu 21-12, 21-12; Tanishq lost to K. Vaishnavi 19-21, 17-21; Kalyani & Satwik bt Sahithi & B. Kiran 21-10, 21-11).
Junior (final): Andhra bt Telengana 3-1 (K. Preeti & Tanishq lost to Sahithi & Shrisi 21-14, 13-21, 21-23; D. Jaswanth bt Sayam Bothra 20-22, 21-17, 21-15; Akshitha bt K. Vaishnavi 20-22, 21-12, 21-11; S.D. Bashir & S.K. Ghouse bt B. Navaneeth & Siddarth Elang 21-11, 21-17, 21-12.
Semifinals: Andhra bt Karnataka 3-0 (K. Preeti & S.K. Ghouse bt Shikha Gautam & Balraj Kajla 17-21, 21-13, 21-12; Tanishq bt Deepthi Ramesh 21-15, 21-12; Jaswanth bt Balraj Kajla 21-15, 21-16).
Telangana bt Kerala 3-2 (Shrisi & Siddarth Elang bt Nafeesa Sara Siraj & John Dayas 21-17, 23-25, 21-17; Aditya lost to Ajay Satheesh Nair 4-21, 13-21; Vaishnavi bt Aadya Variyath 21-14, 13-21, 25-23; Navaneeth & Sidharth ost to Amrut Bhaskar & John Dayas 10-21, 16-21; Sahithi & Shrisi bt V. Anugraha & Nafeesa 21-19, 21-12).