South Zone Badminton: Kavipriya taking rapid strides on court

OTTAPPALAM: Kavipriya S is just 13 years of age but her march to the semi-finals of 72nd AK Nedungadi Memorial South Zone Badminton Championship here has grabbed eyeballs. Kavipriya, ranked seventh in BAI U-15 rankings, lost to Nivetha M of Tamil Nadu in U-19 semis while the top seed Shikha Gautam of Karnataka got the better of her in the senior division. But the girl from Puducherry clinched the U-19 mixed doubles title with Sanjai Srivatsa beating Karnataka's Nikhil Shyam Sriram and Apeksha Nayak in the final.
After playing five matches on Saturday, three in mixed doubles and two in singles, Kavipriya was tired but the manner in which she dictated terms against her far superior rivals caught one's eye. She played her best against Kerala state senior champion Agna Anto in a quarterfinal match and shocked her in straight games. "I am very happy with the performance here. Playing against senior players will always give you confidence," she said.
Kavipriya was barely seven when her mother Santhana Lakshmi requested badminton coach R Ganapathy Vivekanandan to teach her the basics of the game. She was playing badminton for the first time but seeing her skills, the coach started training Kavipriya with seniors. The kid soon emerged as the best player in Puducherry. In 2015, Kavipriya won U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 and senior titles and this year, she won U-15, U-17, U-19 and senior singles titles to stamp her authority in the local circuit.
An eighth standard student, Kavipriya has been training at the Gopichand Badminton Academy since June 2016 after getting selected through SAI. "Kavipriya is one for the future. She has made tremendous progress over the years and has been a consistent performer. Training at Gopichand Academy will play a huge role in developing her game in the coming years," said Puducherry coach Ganapathy who trained her for more than seven years.
"I have been improving my game and I hope to nurture my skills under Gopichand sir. He used to give tips and he has been very motivating," said the daughter of Selvam, a businessman in Puducherry.
"Kavi is a quick learner. I have been sending her to different camps and even brought in a Malaysian coach this year to improve her game. She always gives her hundred percent and won't give up till the last point. That's a good attitude and she will go places," added the coach.