National Badminton Championships: M. Raghu Wins Maiden Title

• M. Raghu wins his maiden Senior National Championship men’s singles title against Railways’ Mithun Manjunath 14-21, 21-14, 24-22.

• Raghu was not ranked high enough to gain a direct entry into the draw but was given one of two extra spots reserved for the hosts by the Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA).

• Devika Sihag secures her first National crown with a 21-15, 21-16 victory over Telangana’s Shriyanshi Valishetty.

• The match was a cat and mouse affair with prolonged exchanges at the net, deft drop shots, and powerful smashes from both players.

• In the decider, Raghu wins the title on his first championship point as his opponent’s shuttle sailed long.

• The results (finals) include singles: M. Raghu vs. Mithun Manjunath; women: Devika Sihag vs. Shriyanshi Valishetty; doubles: Arsh Mohammad & Sanskar Saraswat vs. P. Naveen & V. Lokesh; mixed doubles: Ayush Agarwal & Shruti Mishra vs. Rohan Kapoor & G. Ruthvika Shivani.