<p>K Srikanth became the latest badminton sensation to emerge from India as he lifted his maiden men’s singles title with a stunning straight-game triumph over top-seeded local favourite Boonsak Ponsana at the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold here on Sunday.<br /><br />The 20-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, beat World No 8 Ponsana 21-16, 21-12 in a 34-minute match to script the biggest win of his still nascent career.<br /><br />“When I went into the court, I was pretty okay. I was not thinking anything. He was the local guy and the court was also with him. I knew I had a 50-50 chance even though he is world number eight,” the jubilant youngster told PTI.<br /><br />“I just wanted to give my 100 per cent. I was focusing on one point at a time and I knew it was all about who plays well on that particular day,” he said.<br /><br />The 13th-seeded Indian matched his fancied rival in all departments of the game in what turned out to be a lop-sided contest.<br /><br />“The win has not sunk in. I am still pretty excited. I spoke to my parents and they are also very happy. I will be travelling to Hyderabad tonight and probably fly back to Singapore next Friday or Saturday,” he said.<br /><br />The first game went neck and neck before Srikanth broke free to notch up six consecutive points to win the game and wrest the initiative.<br /><br />“The first game was tough. I was leading by 2-3 points from the start but in the end he was like 15-16 but he made some unforced errors as I played some attacking badminton. It worked as I got four points on the trot and that made all the difference,” he said. <br /><br />In the second game, Ponsana had a two-point lead to start with but Srikanth made amends quite quickly to reel off eight successive points and seal the game and the match in his favour.<br /><br />“In the second game I played pretty well, I was leading 11-5 and continued in the same vein. I didn’t relax and stayed focussed. I could see that although the crowd was supporting him, he looked tense and turned the pressure on himself,” he said.<br /><br />Srikanth had previously reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Junior Championships and entered the pre-quarterfinals of the World Junior Championships in 2011.<br /><br />Indians win title <br /><br />Indian duo of K Nandagopal and K Maneesha clinched the Li-Ning Maldives International Badminton Challenge mixed doubles title after registering a 21-16, 23-21 win over Dae Sung Kim and Bo Kyung Oh of Korea in Male on Sunday. <br /><br />Chetan Anand lost 21-16, 19-21, 16-21 to Muhammad Bayu Pangisthu of Indonesia in the men’s singles semifinal.<br /><br />In men’s doubles, V Diju and Alwin Francis were outplayed 16-21, 16-21 by the Indonesian duo of Arya Maulana Adiartama and Alfian Eko Prasetya. Sanyogita Ghorpade and K Maneesha lost to Melati Daeva Oktaviani and Rosyita Eka Putri Sari 14-21, 14-21 in the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles.</p>
<p>K Srikanth became the latest badminton sensation to emerge from India as he lifted his maiden men’s singles title with a stunning straight-game triumph over top-seeded local favourite Boonsak Ponsana at the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold here on Sunday.<br /><br />The 20-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, beat World No 8 Ponsana 21-16, 21-12 in a 34-minute match to script the biggest win of his still nascent career.<br /><br />“When I went into the court, I was pretty okay. I was not thinking anything. He was the local guy and the court was also with him. I knew I had a 50-50 chance even though he is world number eight,” the jubilant youngster told PTI.<br /><br />“I just wanted to give my 100 per cent. I was focusing on one point at a time and I knew it was all about who plays well on that particular day,” he said.<br /><br />The 13th-seeded Indian matched his fancied rival in all departments of the game in what turned out to be a lop-sided contest.<br /><br />“The win has not sunk in. I am still pretty excited. I spoke to my parents and they are also very happy. I will be travelling to Hyderabad tonight and probably fly back to Singapore next Friday or Saturday,” he said.<br /><br />The first game went neck and neck before Srikanth broke free to notch up six consecutive points to win the game and wrest the initiative.<br /><br />“The first game was tough. I was leading by 2-3 points from the start but in the end he was like 15-16 but he made some unforced errors as I played some attacking badminton. It worked as I got four points on the trot and that made all the difference,” he said. <br /><br />In the second game, Ponsana had a two-point lead to start with but Srikanth made amends quite quickly to reel off eight successive points and seal the game and the match in his favour.<br /><br />“In the second game I played pretty well, I was leading 11-5 and continued in the same vein. I didn’t relax and stayed focussed. I could see that although the crowd was supporting him, he looked tense and turned the pressure on himself,” he said.<br /><br />Srikanth had previously reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Junior Championships and entered the pre-quarterfinals of the World Junior Championships in 2011.<br /><br />Indians win title <br /><br />Indian duo of K Nandagopal and K Maneesha clinched the Li-Ning Maldives International Badminton Challenge mixed doubles title after registering a 21-16, 23-21 win over Dae Sung Kim and Bo Kyung Oh of Korea in Male on Sunday. <br /><br />Chetan Anand lost 21-16, 19-21, 16-21 to Muhammad Bayu Pangisthu of Indonesia in the men’s singles semifinal.<br /><br />In men’s doubles, V Diju and Alwin Francis were outplayed 16-21, 16-21 by the Indonesian duo of Arya Maulana Adiartama and Alfian Eko Prasetya. Sanyogita Ghorpade and K Maneesha lost to Melati Daeva Oktaviani and Rosyita Eka Putri Sari 14-21, 14-21 in the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles.</p>