India’s Arvind Bhat won his third title of the season, clinching a Satellite Series tournament in Damascus (Syria) on Thursday evening, according to a release from the Tata Padukone Badminton Academy.

In the final, Bhat scored over Carlos Longo 21-16, 21-18. In the semifinal, the Indian beat Iran No 1 Ali Shah Hosseni in three games. His victim in the quarterfinals was Sri Lanka’s Niluka Karunarathne.

Bhat’s best win of the tournament was in the last 16 stage. The Karnataka player defeated the top-seeded Spanish player and world No 43, Pablo Abian, 21-16, 21-16.

Bhat, currently ranked No 123 in the World, had won the New Caledonia and Czech Open tournaments after making a comeback from an injury in the middle of this year.

Meanwhile, India’s top-ranked singles player Anup Sridhar, who had to return from training in Denmark due to injury, has attained a career-best World ranking of 25 in the latest World Badminton Federation list, the release added.

National champion Chetan Anand is currently ranked No 39, while Anand Pawar is at No 94.

India’s top women’s player Saina Nehwal is ranked 25th in the women’s singles list. Trupti Murgunde is at No 79.