Sourabh claims third Senior National title
Sourabh Verma completed a hat-trick of titles at the Senior Badminton Nationals, claiming the men's singles crown after defeating young Lakshya Sen in straight games, in the 83rd edition of the tournament here Sunday.
The 26-year-old, who had won the title in 2011 and 2017, showed great composure and tactical brilliance to outdo the 17-year-old Lakshya, an Asian junior champion, 21-18 21-13 in a lop-sided contest.
It was their second meeting in the senior national finals, following Sourabh's triumph in February 2017.
Earlier, the second seeded makeshift pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty clinched the men's doubles title after beating top seeds Arjun M R and Shlok Ramchandran 21-13 22-20 in 33 minutes.
The men's singles final contest started on an even keel as both the players looked to outdo each other. Soon Lakshya's precise smashes matched Sourabh's drop shots as the duo split the initial 12 points.
Lakshya showed great balance of defence and attack and moved into break .