With four finalists in five divisions, Sunday’s finals at the Syed Modi International Championships looked like a day to celebrate for host India, but it didn’t work out that way.
Only Sameer Verma won, but it was an important victory, who had to win this tournament in order to be among the top eight in the seasonal points standings and make it into the field for the BWF World Tour Finals in December. And he did, coming back from a 16-21 first set loss to defeat China’s Guangzu Lu, with 21-19 and 21-14 set wins.
China won two of the other divisions, with Yue Han besting India’s Saina Nehwal in the women’s Singles final, and Xuanyi Ou and Xueying Feng winning the Mixed Doubles over Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Mentari (INA). Summaries:
BWF World Tour/Syed Modi Int’l Championships
Lucknow (IND) ~ 20-25 November 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s Singles: 1. Sameer Verma (IND); 2. Guangzu Lu (CHN); 3. Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (INA) and Sitthikom Thammasin (THA). Semis: Verma d. Dwi Wardoyo, 21-13, 17-21, 21-8; Lu d. Thammasin, 10-21, 21-16, 21-17. Final: Verma d. Lu, 16-21, 21-19, 21-14.
Men’s Doubles: 1. Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA); 2. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (IND); 3. Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov (RUS) and Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (DEN). Semis: Alfian/Ardianto d. Ivanov/Sozonov, 21-14, 27-15; Rankireddy/Shetty d. Boe/Morgensen, 22-20, 25-23. Final: Alfian/Ardianto d. Rankireddy/Shetty, 21-11, 22-20.
Women’s Singles: 1. Yue Han (CHN); 2. Saina Nehwal (IND); 3. Rusalli Hartawan (INA) and Xuerui Li (CHN). Semis: Nehwal d. Hartawan, 21-21, 21-7, 21-6; Han d. Li, 21-15, 19-21, 21-9. Final: Han d. Nehwal, 21-18, 21-8.
Women’s Doubles: 1. Mei Kuan Chow/Meng Yean Lee (MAS); 2. Ashwini Ponnappa/N. Sikki Reddy (IND); 3. Della Haris/Rizki Pradipta (INA) and Ekaterina Bolotova/Alina Davletova (RUS). Semis: Chow/Lee d. Haris/Pradipta, 14-21, 21-19, 16-9 (retired); Ponnappa/Reddy d. Bolotova/Davletova, 21-18, 21-16. Final: Chow/Lee d. Ponnappa/Reddy, 21-15, 21-13.
Mixed Doubles: 1. Xuanyi Ou/Xueying Feng (CHN); 2. Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Mentari (INA); 3. Alfian Eko Prasetya/Marsheilla Islami (INA) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Ashwini Ponnappa (IND). Semis: Rivaldy/Mentari d. Prasetya/Islami, 7-21, 21-13, 21-14; Ou/Feng d. Rankireddy/ Ponnappa, 21-12, 18-21, 21-19. Final: Ou/Feng d. Rivaldy/Mentari, 22-20, 21-10.
