BADMINTON | Triumph a confidence booster ahead of upcoming international assignments: Varshini and Nayana

Winning their maiden women’s doubles title together at the Yonex-Sunrise all India senior ranking badminton tournament on Thursday has given Tamil Nadu’s V.S. Varshini and Kerala’s Nayana S. Oasis the confidence that their partnership is heading in the right direction.

The pair, who have been partnering only since January this year, defeated Odisha’s Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda 15-12, 15-6 in the final. Speaking after the match, the duo said the triumph would serve as a confidence booster ahead of their upcoming international assignments. Prior to this, their best result on the international circuit had been a semifinal finish at the I Feel Slovenia Li-Ning Open in May.

“It’s really special because this is my first title in my home State. After five years, a senior ranking tournament has happened in Chennai. So, I’m really happy to win this medal here. This win was very much needed for us. It has really boosted our confidence and will help us play better in the upcoming tournaments,” said Varshini.

For Nayana, it was a milestone of a different kind. “This is my first all India title, so I’m really happy,” she said.

The pair felt their biggest improvement had come in their mindset rather than their strokes.

“I think in the past few tournaments and this tournament, we have kept a positive attitude on court throughout,” said Nayana.

Varshini pointed to their opening-round comeback after dropping the first game and their composure in the final after surrendering an 11-7 lead in the opening game as evidence of their growing mental resilience.

The pair will spend August training before competing in the Vietnam Open Super 100 and the all India senior ranking tournament in Lucknow in September, with their immediate goal being “to break into the top 80 in the world rankings (currently ranked 212).”