Twice Indian national champion Anup Sridhar said his win last night in the Super League of the India Club UAE Open was just the start he was hoping for in the long road back towards being counted among the cream of world badminton.
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The 32-year-old from Bangalore, who was playing his first tournament in more than 12 months after recovering from a stress fracture in his right patella (kneecap) bone, was a comfortable winner in the Super League men’s singles, beating Indonesia’s Dea Adi Rangga 21-17, 21-12.
And in the men’s doubles final, there was joy for the numerous family and friends of UAE’s Mohammed Munawar and partner Nandagopal Kidambi beat the
Malaysian pairing of Nur Izzuddin Bin Rumsani and Zairul Hafiz Bin Zainudin 21-18, 21-19 in a closely-fought encounter.
In the singles, the 27-year-old Rangga could not take advantage of the difference in age, and also the fact that Sridhar was coming back after a long injury.
On the other hand, two things worked out in favour of the Indian star – his experience of playing at a higher level, and his excellent court coverage.
The first set saw the tall Sridhar commit too many unforced errors, especially on the net. Both players were neck and neck, tied at 9-9 and then later at 15-15.
Both traded serves with brilliant drop shots at 10-10, before Rangga edged ahead to 13-10 as Sridhar kept making mistakes. From 15-15, Sridhar changed gears and took the next four points, which proved to be the decisive charge in the set.
The shot that won him his 19th point – a leaping smash from the extreme end of his court that had power and placement – had class written all over it, and he did not look back.
Sridhar won the first set 21-17, and then raced to a 5-0 lead in the beginning of the second as he completely dominated his Indonesian rival.
Leading 17-5, Sridhar gave a sliver of hope to his opponent when he slipped and fell down heavily.
That jolted the Indian, but Rangga could only cut the deficit by four before Sridhar recovered.
Our #UAE Open men’s champion Anup Sridhar celebrates his straight set victory over Dea Adiranga in #Dubai pic.twitter.com/FHDjy0eXeA
— Sport360° (@Sport360) June 12, 2015
The best point of the set was a long rally of over 20 shots before Sridhar reached match point at 20-11 through a crafty, down-the-line flick which flummoxed Rangga who was moving to the other side of the court.
“It wasn’t as easy as it looked, especially in the second game,” said Sridhar, who was making his first visit to the UAE as a competitor.
“The last seven or eight points were quite tough. I think he finally figured out how to get me into trouble and he pushed really hard.But thankfully, I had a good lead by that stage and I managed to hold on.
“I did not get the best of starts. This is my first tournament in 12 months and I guess I was a bit nervous playing a final after so many days. There were a bit of butterflies early on…that feeling never goes. I am happy that I got through it.”
Sridhar, who was once ranked 24th in the world, is without any ranking at the moment, but is hoping to claw his way back soon.
“This was just the start. I wanted to test myself after the injury and I am glad everything worked out well,” he added.
“I have a couple of ranking tournaments in India in August so the next weeks are going to be a lot of fitness work. I’m sure I can get my skills back, i’s the fitness and stamina that will be the main thing, and this win gives me confidence going ahead.
“I really loved the tournament. It was a very good test for me. I will be delighted to come back and defend my title if the organisers invite me back.”
