Local shuttler claims third spot in world meet

Deepankar Sharda

Panchkula, December 11

Local shuttler Anupama Upadhyaya (17) claimed third place in the Bangladesh International Challenge 2022 played in Dhaka. The event concluded today.

Anupama gave a tough fight to Akrishi Kashyap before losing 21-23, 21-13, 17-21 in the semifinal. In the first round, she defeated Japan’s Nana Hisaminato 21-19, 21-17. In her pre-quarterfinal clash, Anupama overpowered Ashi Rawat 21-15, 21-7, followed by 23-21, 21-19 win over Malaysia’s Kisona Selvaduray in the quarterfinals. Last week, she had lost in the semifinals of the 2022 Bahrain International Challenge. She lost to World Junior No. 1 Indonesia’s Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo 16-21, 22-20, 14-21. In the pre-quarterfinals, she defeated Insyriah Khan of Singapore 12-21, 21-17, 21-13. In the quarterfinals, she got better of India’s Ashmita Chaliha 22-20, 21-16. “I performed better in the Dhaka Open than the Bahrain International Challenge. The core area to work on was fitness and I am trying to overcome it in coming championships. During travel, I prefer to rejuvenate myself by reading books and watching movies. I will be playing more international championships before returning to the domestic circuit,” said Anupama. It was only last month, when the 17-year-old shuttler won her first-ever senior ranking tournament, Yonex Sunrise All-India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament in Visakhapatnam. She is the top-ranked junior player as per the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings with 18,160 points in 19 tournaments. In March last year, she held 65th rank after winning the 2022 Polish Open 2022. Later in January, she jumped 43 spots to grab the 84th rank.