Tanisha-Ashwini, Sathish triumph; Anmol runner-up

Guwahati: Sathish Karunakaran clinched the men’s singles title, while the women’s doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa defended their crown at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Sathish, the 2023 Odisha Open Super 100 champion, defeated Zhu Xuan Chen of China 21-17, 21-14 in 44 minutes to give India a second title.

The top-seeded Tanisha and Ashwini also secured a straight-game victory earlier when they defeated China’s Li Hua Zhou and Wang Zi Meng 21-18, 21-12 in 43 minutes.

Rising Indian shuttler Anmol Kharb also came agonisingly close to a maiden Super 100 title before finishing runner-up after losing 21-14 13-21 19-21 to China’s Cai Yan Yan in women’s singles final.

The world No. 16 Tanisha and Ashwini began with a bang, surging to an 8-2 lead. However, the Chinese pair narrowed the gap to 10-11 at the mid-game interval and kept the pressure on, trailing closely until 18-19. The Indian duo then held their nerves to secure the final two points and take the first game.

The second game started competitively, but the Indians pulled away with a seven-point spree, racing to a

15-6 lead.