Cuttack: India’s Rithvik Sanjeevi Satish Kumar capped off an impressive week by claiming his maiden BWF Super 100 title after defeating compatriot Tharun Mannepalli in the men’s singles final at the Odisha Masters in Cuttack Sunday.
The 21-year-old, who won the Telangana International Challenge last month and finished as runner-up at the Sri Lanka International Challenge in February, triumphed 21-18, 21-16 over Tharun, a runner-up at the Senior National Championship.
In the women’s singles final, 15-year-old Tanvi Sharma, who claimed the Bonn International title earlier this year, was defeated 14-21, 16-21 by Chinese qualifier Cai Yan Yan in just 35 minutes.
The 43-minute summit clash between Rithvik and Tharun lived up to expectations as the duo fought tooth and nail for supremacy.
While Rithvik, ranked 78th in the world, established an early 9-3 lead, Tharun fought back, narrowing the gap to 9-10, and kept himself within striking distance. However, Rithvik managed to stay ahead until 19-18 before grabbing the two necessary points to claim the opening game.
After the break, Rithvik took control, quickly moving to a 7-2 lead. Tharun attempted to close the gap, but Rithvik didn’t give his opponent much chance to make a comeback.
PTI
