NAGPUR: Promising city shuttler
Nikkita Joseph
and her Mumbai Suburban partner
Manya Avlani
stormed into the
U-13 girls doubles final
in the first
Maharashtra Sub Junior State Selection Badminton
tournament at
Kalidas Sports Complex
, Mulund in Mumbai on Friday.
The week-long tournament is being organized by Jayesh Dhuri Badminton Foundation along with Brihanmumbai Krida And Lalitkala Pratishthan under the aegis of Mumbai Suburban District Badminton Association and Maharashtra Badminton Association (MBA).
The top seeded pair of Nikkita and Manya outclassed unseeded Aalisha Naik and Nirmiti Gajbhiye 21-15, 21-11 in a one-sided semifinal to reach their maiden final. Nikkita and Manya started in fine manner and maintained the lead throughout the match. The Nagpur-Mumbai pair will now take on second seeds Ashita Singh and Tara Shah of Pune.
However in the U-13 girls singles semifinal, second seed Nikkita had to face defeat at the hands of her doubles partner Manya. Nikkita went down fighting against Mumbai's Manya 16-21, 17-21.
Nikkita, a Standard VII student of Modern School, Koradi, trains under Chetak Khedikar.
In the U-15 girls doubles semifinal, Nagpur's Aditi Sadhankar and Riya Habbu of Pune lost against Aarya Deshpande and Prerana Alvekar 10-21, 9-21.
Earlier in the U-15 girls doubles quarters, city shuttler Chaitali Nayse and Karishma Khardikar of Thane lost to top seeds Ananya Phadke and Hrissha Dubey 11-21, 16-21.
In the U-15 girls singles fourth round, top seed Aarya Deshpande trounced Chaitali Nayse, a Standard IX student of RS Mundle English Medium School, in straight games.
The finals of the season's first state tournament will be played on Sunday.
Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by MBA senior vice-president Pradeep Gandhe and MBA secretary Sunder Shetty.
RESULTS(Quarterfinals) U-13 girls doubles: 1-Nikkita Joseph-Manya Avlani bt Devangi Jadhav-Nandini Bhargava 21-6, 21-7.
U-13 girls singles: 2-Nikkita Joseph bt Kripi Sajwan 15-21, 21-7, 21-12.
U-15 girls doubles: Aditi Sadhankar-Riya Habbu bt Aayarika Arora-Madhura Jevargi 21-17, 21-10; Chaitali Nayse-Karishma Khardikar lost to 1-Ananya Phadke-Hrissha Dubey 11-21, 16-21.
(Semifinals) U-13 girls doubles: 1-Nikkita Joseph-Manya Avlani bt Aalisha Naik-Nirmiti Gajbhiye 21-15, 21-11.
U-13 girls singles: 2-Nikkita Joseph lost to Manya Avlani 16-21, 17-21.
U-15 girls doubles: Aditi Sadhankar-Riya Habbu lost to Aarya Deshpande-Prerana Alvekar 10-21, 9-21.