Thulasi topples

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Mumbai, Dec. 25: It proved to be a memorable outing for 19-year-old P.C. Thulasi, who won the women’s singles title at the Tata Open badminton International Challenge at the CCI courts here on Saturday.

Thulasi picked up her first senior and international title with a shock defeat of top seed Fransiska Ratnasari of Indonesia 21-15, 21-13 on Saturday. Indonesian top seed Yunus Alamsyah claimed the men’s title defeating country-mate Tommy Sugiarto 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a marathon 60-minute match.

Santa couldn’t have given Thulasi a better gift and she ended her year with a sweet win. She wasn’t stretched too much by the Indonesian, winning the encounter in 35 minutes.

“This is my first international title and I will surely cherish it. Also that I defeated Sayali Gokhale, whom I lost to in the senior nationals gave me confidence,” said Thulasi.

“I joined the Gopichand Academy just a month back and the results are for everybody to see. Also Saina Nehwal’s wins encourage me and give me the confidence that we can beat any player be it Chinese, Korean or Indonesian. I watched my opponent here and also at the Indian Open in Hyderabad, so I had a fair idea about her game and that helped me a lot,” added Thulasi.

Pic Caption:
P.C. Thulasi in action against Fransiska Ratnasari of Indonesia during the women’s final of Tata Open India International Badminton Challenge in Mumbai on Saturday. Thulasi won in straight sets.