Bengaluru, Dec 24 (NationPress) In a thrilling showdown, Karnataka’s M Raghu showcased remarkable resilience by saving three match points in the final set to overcome former champion Mithun Manjunath and seize the men’s singles title. Meanwhile, Haryana’s Devika Sihag concluded the impressive run of Shriyanshi Valishetty to secure the women’s singles championship at the 86th Senior Nationals badminton tournament held here on Tuesday.

Raghu, who achieved a significant upset over top seed Sathish Kumar in the semi-finals, triumphed over Mithun with scores of 14-21, 21-14, 24-22 in just under an hour, marking his first national title. On the other hand, Devika decisively defeated Shriyanshi with a score of 21-15, 21-16.

The Junior National Champions Arsh Mohammad and Sanskar Saraswat added to their accolades by winning the senior nationals title, overcoming top seeds Naveen P and Lokesh V in the men’s doubles final with a scoreline of 12-21, 21-12, 19-21.

Experience prevailed in the other categories, with the eighth seeds Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani claiming victory in the mixed doubles, while Arathi Sara Sunil and Varshini VS secured the women’s doubles title.

The men’s singles final was the highlight of the senior nationals at the Karnataka Badminton Association courts, featuring two local players. Mithun, a past champion, started strong by winning the first game with relative ease.

Raghu rallied back to force a decisive third game by dominating the second. His adept control during net exchanges proved crucial, as he recovered from a 15-19 deficit to tie the score at 19-19. Despite Mithun having three match points, he could not convert any.

In the women’s singles final, Devika quickly established control over the match’s rhythm and maintained her superiority, clinching victory in straight games.