Badminton: Marathe,Limaye win U-19 singles

Yashodhan Marathe and Kalyani Limaye won the under-19 boys and girls singles events in the second AMANORA CUP badminton championship on Saturday.

With the top two seeded players going up against each other,the top seed,Yashodhan Marathe defeated the second seed Varun Sarodhe 21-19,21-14 to win the under-19 boys singles event. The 18-year old,Marathe played with skill and held his nerve to win a nail biting first game and take a 1-0 lead over his opponent who also trains at the Tata-Padukone academy like Marathe. The second game was more comfortable for Marathe as he eased to victory to successfully defend his title.

After beating Saee Purandare in the semis,Kalyani Limaye out-classed Radhika Joshi 23-21,21-10 to win the under-19 girls singles event. The finalist of the under-16 event last year,Marathe who trains under Ravi Kante played out of her skin to win the first game and take a 1-0 lead. The Maharashtra Mandal Tournament winner,Limaye took confidence into the next game and won the second game comfortably to bag the title for the first time.