Gayatri Gopichand wins badminton doubles at India International Challenge 2021

It was a proud moment for Gayatri Gopichand, daughter of legendary Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, as she has added an accolade to her name in the sport. She has won the doubles event of the India International Challenge 2021, held at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Gayatri, who was unseeded, teamed up with Treesa Jolly, the fourth seed, as the pair outplayed the dup of Tanisha Crasto and Rutaparna Panda, defeating them in straight sets 23-21, 21-14, while the contest lasted 48 minutes. It was the second event she took part in on Sunday.

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Earlier, Gayatri participated in the mixed-doubles event final of the same. Before the doubles final, she had teamed up with Sai Pratheek K (7th seed), as they faced off against Ishaan Bhatnagar (3rd seed) and Tanisha Crasto. Gayatri and Pratheek lost in straight sets 21-16, 21-19, as the pair ended up being the runner-up for the event, while the match had lasted 44 minutes.

18-year-old Gayatri is still a rising prospect in the sport, ranked 220 in BWF Singles, while in the doubles, she is ranked 433. Her highest ranking to date has been 197 in singles and the current 433 in the doubles. She had taken part in the 2019 South Asian Games, held in Kathmandu-Pokhara, where she had won the gold in doubles and the silver in singles.

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Other results from the India International Challenge 2021:
Women singles: Anupama Upadhyaya [12th seed] defeated Unnati Hooda - 21-19, 21-16.
Men's doubles: Krishna Prasad Garaga [3rd seed] and Vishnu Vardhan Goud Panjala defeated Arun George [1st seed] and Sanyam Shukla - 24-22, 13-21, 22-20
Men's singles: Priyanshu Rajawat [9th seed] defeated Raghu Mariswamy [10th seed] - 12-21, 21-10, 21-8