Verma wins maiden Hyderabad Open, Ponnappa-Reddy fall in the final
Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma win his first-ever Super 100 competition on home soil.
Badminton
The final matches of the 2019 Hyderabad Open Super 100 were played on Sunday and saw Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma win his first-ever Super 100 badminton competition on home soil.
India’s women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy though stumbled at the final hurdle to finish as runners up to South Korean pair of Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun.
After a resolute display in the semi-finals, Verma was high on confidence coming into the final. He looked sharp right from the beginning, winning the first game 21-13. However, his opponent Loh Kean Yew of Singapore fought back in the second game to claim it 21-14 and set up a tantalising finale.
It was Sourabh who emerged victorious in that final game to win the 2019 Hyderabad Open 21-13, 14-21, 21-16.
This is Verma’s first Super 100 title for 2019. His victory also ensures that the Hyderabad Open title remains in the Verma household after his brother Sameer had clinched the title in 2018.
Ponnapa- Reddy lose out
The top-ranked Indian women’s doubles pair of Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy couldn’t script a similar tale as they went down fighting in their final.
They were humbled by the South Korean shuttlers who managed to win in straight games 21-17, 21-17.
India’s premier shuttlers chose to give the Hyderabad Open a skip as they are busy preparing for the BWF World Championships which is slated to begin on August 19 in Switzerland.