Hyderabad :
It was festival time for the Kidambis of Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), when two brothers from the family won international badminton titles on Sunday, a first for India. While younger sibling Srikanth became the first Indian to win a Grand Prix Gold men’s singles title outside the country by winning the Thailand Open, Nandagopal, along with partner Kiran Maneesha, claimed the mixed doubles at the Maldives International tournament.
Srikanth stunned world No.7 Boonsak Ponsana 21-16, 21-13 in Bangkok. In Male, the Indian pair beat Koreans Kim Dae Sung and Oh Bo Kyung 21-16, 23-21.
The Guntur brothers became the first Indian shuttlers to achieve the remarkable feat of winning two titles at two different tournaments on the same day.
If younger sibling Srikanth grabbed the cake by becoming the first Indian to win a Grand Prix Gold men’s singles title outside the country, Nandagopal provided the icing to the celebrations as he and Kiran Maneesha claimed the mixed doubles at the Maldives International tournament. The pair defeated Koreans Dae Sung Kim and Bo Kyung Oh 21-16, 23-21 in the final.
Pitted against a formidable rival, Srikanth came out with all guns blazing to beat world No. 7 and local favourite Boonsak Ponsana in straight games 21-16, 21-13 to lay hands on the Thailand Grand Prix Gold trophy in Bangkok.
“It is a great day for us. This is for the first time we are witnessing such a feat. This shows how well we are progressing in the sport. I am confident that we can hear a lot of good news about men’s badminton in future,” said national coach P Gopichand, who told TOI last year that there would be some ‘exciting’ results in men’s singles within a year’s time.
An elated Srikanth said that he stuck to the plan. “It is a great victory for me. Everyone knows Ponsana is dangerous and a tough nut to crack. But I went in with a clear strategy. I had spoken to my coach before the match and he told me to be aggressive and stay close to the net as the shuttle is very slow here. So I went on an all-out attack right from the start. Once my smashes started hitting the lines it became easy for me,” said Srikanth, who will return to the country on Monday. While facing Ponsana, Indian shuttlers used to adopt a defensive strategy of toss and drop but a change in plan on Sunday seems to have paid rich dividends.
What stunned the critics and fans alike is the way the 20-year-old trainee from the Gopichand Academy handled Ponsana in the final. Srikanth showed utter disregard for the rankings and local support as he crushed the Ponsana in just 33 minutes. The Thai shuttler had defeated several top shuttlers in the past but Sunday was a different tale altogether.
Securing winners with consummate ease, Srikanth opened with a 7-2 lead and though Ponsana stayed close till 15-16, Srikanth killed the contest with a four-point burst at this stage. The Guntur lad was even more aggressive in the second game as he produced nine smash winners and once he moved to 11-4, Ponsana was forced to give up.
If the coaches have any complaint about Srikanth it is his ‘casual’ attitude but it seems he has what it takes to win major titles. “He has a casual and refreshing attitude, doesn’t think much about anything and never gets tense. But he needs to build up his strength. There was a lot of improvement in the last year and there is a lot that needs to be done. He has it in him to break into the top five,” Gopi said.
Meanwhile, it was celebration time in Guntur. With two of his sons winning titles, father KVS Krishna was over the moon. “I don’t have words to describe my feelings. The whole thing is yet to sink in,” said Krishna, a farmer.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Badminton /Guntur / by V Ratnakar, TNN / June 10th, 2013