Guwahati Masters: Saraswat clinches maiden super 100 title, Tanvi finishes runner-up

Guwahati, Dec 7 (PTI) India's' Sanskar Saraswat clinched his maiden Super 100 title after eking out a three-game victory over compatriot Mithun Manjunath in the men's singles final of the Guwahati Masters here on Sunday.

The 19-year-old from Jodhpur showcased grit and firepower while unleashing a barrage of smashes to outwit former national champion Manjunath 21-11, 17-21, 21-13 in an all-Indian final that lasted 50 minutes.

However, Tanvi Sharma, a world junior championships silver medallist, registered a runner-up finish in women's singles after losing 18-21 18-21 to Tung Ciou-Tong of Chinese Taipei in the finals.

The 16-year-old from Punjab had reached the semifinals at Syed Modi International Super 300 last week. She had reached the Odisha Masters final last year and finished runner-up at this year’s US Open Super 300 and the World Junior Championships as well.

Indian men's doubles pair of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K also finished second best after losing 13-21 18-21 to Malaysia's sixth seed Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai in a lop-sided final.

Saraswat, who trains at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati, has been making rapid strides on the domestic circuit. He won his maiden senior national doubles title alongside Arsh Mohammad in Bengaluru last year and had earlier claimed a junior singles crown.

The duo also finished runners-up in the under-19 event at the 31st Smit Krishna Khaitan Memorial Badminton Tournament in September last year.

Playing with his right leg heavily taped, Saraswat stayed marginally ahead at the outset before Manjunath clawed back to 7-7 in the opening game. While the rallies lacked prolonged exchanges, both players capitalised on each other's errors..

Saraswat carried a slim 11-9 lead into the interval before stretching it to 14-10 with a burst of attacking shots. Manjunath struggled to read his opponent's cross-court and down-the-line smashes as Saraswat surged to nine game points and closed out the opener comfortably.

The second game saw Saraswat continue on the offensive, racing to an 8-2 lead with his steep smashes leaving Manjunath under pressure. However, the Karnataka shuttler staged a strong comeback, reeling off five consecutive points to level at 7-8 and edging ahead 11-10 at the interval..

Momentum then swung decisively as Manjunath overturned a deficit to grab an 18-16 advantage before Saraswat's errors handed him three game points, which he converted to force a decider.

In the third game, Saraswat came out firing, storming to a 7-0 lead with aggressive intent. Manjunath managed to close the gap briefly, but Saraswat maintained control to take an 11-5 lead at the interval..

After the restart, his ability to get under the shuttle and unleash full-blooded smashes proved decisive as he stretched the lead to 14-6 and earned eight match points..

Saraswat sealed the contest on his second opportunity with a deep return.

Saraswat was introduced to the sport by his father Raj, a former national-level singles and doubles player..

After beginning his training at the Drona Sports Academy, Saraswat went on to win the under-13 national doubles title with Tushar Suveer and later partnered Bhuvan Singh to claim the under-15 national doubles crown in Bhubaneswar in 2019..

Tanvi vs Tun ========== Tanvi and Tung engaged in some lively rallies, with the Indian mixing her strokes well to take an 11-8 lead at the mid-game interval. However, the Taiwanese shuttler gradually clawed her way back, drawing level at 16-16 before edging ahead 18-16.

Tanvi then struck two wayward smashes, allowing Tung to pocket the opening game.

After the change of ends, the players were locked at 5-5 and 6-6 before Tanvi once again led 11-8 at the interval, helped by a spate of unforced errors from her opponent. But Tanvi faltered soon after, committing a series of mistakes, including four shots into the net, as Tung levelled the game at 13-13.

Though Tanvi produced some impressive cross-court smashes and drops, she failed to maintain consistency and was undone by further unforced errors, enabling Tung to move ahead 17-16. Two more miscues handed the Taiwanese shuttler three match points. Tanvi saved one with a sharp cross-court return before another shot strayed wide of the net, sealing her runner-up finish. PTI ATK KHS