Sameer Verma downs elder sibling Sourabh to win title

Third seed Sameer won the battle of Madhya Pradesh-born Verma brothers by outclassing elder sibling and former champion Sourabh in straight games to clinch the men's singles title at the USD 15,000 Tata Open Indian International Badminton Challenge here today.
National men's runner-up Sameer, the highest ranked player in the tournament after the withdrawal of two other Indian shuttlers, overcame the 2013 champion 21-11 21-18 in just 26 minutes to become the new men's champion.
Earlier, Thailand's 17-year-old shuttler and tournament second seed Pornpawee Chchuwong, ranked 40th in the world, rallied brilliantly after dropping the opening game to defeat top-seeded Malaysian rival Jing Yi Tee, the world no. 37, to clinch the women's singles crown after a 40-minute final.

Sameer won USD 1121 and 4000 ranking points while Sourabh, also a trainee like his brother at the P Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, took home USD 570 and 3400 points.
The 21-year-old Sameer, whose current world ranking of 52 is expected to improve to around 45 when the list is announced next week, was on a canter to win the opening game against 2011 national champion Sourabh, who is to celebrate his 23rd birthday at the end of this month, by setting a fast pace.
In the second game too, Sameer led his elder brother 9-3 before Sourabh, ranked a lowly 244 in the world, clawed his way back, due to some errors on the former's part along with some improvement in his own display, to catch up at 12-all.

Sourabh then went ahead 16-13 before Sameer drew level at 16-all and then fell behind by a point before catching up once again at 18-18.

That was the last sign of defiance from Sourabh, as Sameer closed out the match with two drop shots interspersed with a smash.
This was the second time in as many weeks at the international level that Sameer had beaten Sourabh, having come out on top in straight games in the pre quarterfinals of the Bangladesh Challenge.
The preceding women's final between Thai shuttler
Pornpawee and Malaysian top seed Jing drew better response from the crowd at the Cricket Club of India.

Thailand no. 5 Pornpawee dropped the first game 16-21 before exhibiting excellent court-craft with her drops and flicks to the base to catch her opponent on the wrong foot often to win the next two 21-11 21-15 to win her second international singles title at the senior level.
"I had beaten her in the Australian Grand Prix," said the rising Thai shuttler based in Bangkok, adding she had won her first international title at the Australian international challenge five months ago.
There was a huge upset in the mixed doubles contested by two Indian pairs when the unheralded duo of Satwolsairaj Rankireddy and K Manisha overcame their second-seeded rivals, Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan 21-13 21-16 in the final.

The results (all finals):
Women's singles: 2-Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thai) bt 1-Jing Yi Tee (Mas) 16-21 21-11 21-15. Men's singles: 3-Sameer Verma (Ind) bt Sourabh Verma (Ind) 21-11 21-18. Mixed doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/K Maneesha (Ind) bt Arun Vishnu/Aparna Balan (Ind) 21-13 21-16. Women's doubles: 1-Chaladchalam Chayanit/Phataimas Muenwong (Tha) bt K Maneesha/N Sikki Reddy (Ind) 21-11 15-21 21-13. Men's doubles: Wannawat Ampunsuwan/Tinn Irsiyante (Thai) bt Pranaav Jerry Chopra/Akshay Dewalkar 21-14 21-9.