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Pune District Badminton Championship: Bhivpathaki, Barve take home honours
Bhivpathaki defeated second seed Rishabh Deshpande 15-21, 21-14, 21-15 while Purva overcame Tara Shah 21-16, 21-16
Seasoned campaigners – Arya Bhivpathaki and Purva Barve stood true to their reputation as the duo walked home with the men’s and women’s titles respectively of the Pune District Badminton Championship underway at Modern Sports Complex Shivajinagar on Saturday.
Bhivpathaki defeated second seed Rishabh Deshpande 15-21, 21-14, 21-15 while Purva overcame Tara Shah 21-16, 21-16.
It turned out to be contrasting victories for Bhivpathaki and Barve as the latter wrapped up the match in 27 minutes while Bhivpathaki had to battle it for 70 minutes before clinching the title.
The match between Bhivpathaki and Deshpande turned out to be longest match of the day. In the 2018 final, Deshpande had overcome Bhivpathaki.
Training under the same coach Hemant Hardikar, both the finalists knew each other’s weakness and strength and it was all about performing better on the given day.
“We have been playing together since the age of 10, so we both know each other’s playing style. I did not perform bad, but I was not able to control my nerves in crunch moments of the match and this cost me the victory,” said Deshpande, who partnered with Bhivpathaki to clinch the doubles title defeating Harshad Bhagwat and Jairaj Shaktawat 21-9, 22-20 in a 25-minute battle.
“It was a tiring victory. I had developed a blister on my left leg ankle, so it was very hard to play. We both were involved in many long rallies and he (Deshpande) was returning very well, but it was a matter of few shots which I played better than him,” explained Bhivpathaki, who was trailing in the first game 15-21 before rallying back strongly.
Deshpande was leading the second set 11-8 before Bhivpathaki forced a comeback into the match.
“From 11-8 down in the second, I fought hard. Once the match went into deciding set, then, it was all about who performs better physically and today, I outplayed him in the third game,” added Bhivpathaki.
Purva pulverises Tara
Playing against a younger opponent, champion Purva Barve, did not have to do anything extraordinary to overcome 14-year-old Tara Sharma.
Barve took the first set with ease before struggling a bit in the second set.
“After the side change, I took some time to adjust and hence, I started slowly and my opponent went ahead 4-0, but once I got the things set, it was an easy win for me,” added Barve, who rallied from 0-4 and finished the second set 21-16.
Barve was all praise for Tara who was named the player of the tournament.
“She (Tara) is amazing. I am happy that one more good player is emerging from my academy (Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy). She will be the next star player from Pune in the future,” added Barve.
Box 1:
Few important Results:
Women: Purva Barve bt Tara Shah 21-16, 21-16
Men: 1-Arya Bhivpathaki bt 2-Rishabh Deshpande 15-21, 21-14, 21-15
Girls:
Under-19: Tara Shah bt 2-Riya Kunjir 21-18, 21-15
Under-17: Riya Habbu bt Rucha Sawant 21-12, 21-8
Boys:
Under-19: Harshal Jadhav bt Venkatesh Agarwal 21-18, 21-13
Under-17: Aryan Shetty bt Atharv Aras 21-11, 18-21, 21-12
Box 2
Players say:
Arya Bhivpathaki, winner, men’s category
The third set is all about proving your physical strength on the court and I proved to be more stronger than my opponent.
Rishabh Deshpande, runner’s up, men’s
Mentally, I need to be tough when it comes to big matches. I had my chance today, but could not control my nerves.
Purva Barve, winner, women’s
I did not try anything new during the match and just stuck to my basics.
Tara Shah, runner’s up, women’s
I enjoyed playing the final, but Purva played better today.
