Arundhati looks to soar

Though Parupalli Kashyap did not live up to the top billing as he went down down to Bengaluru boy Arvind Bhat 13-21, 17-21 in the national badminton final, it was the fighting performance of Nagpur girl Arundhati Pantawane who has adopted Hyderabad as her second home being the first out-station ward at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in 2006 who gave seventh seed Mutatkar a tough time on court before the latter pulled off a close-fought 19-21, 23-12, 21-15 win.My performance was very good as I did not have any great expectations. I just wanted to do well, said Arundhati. It was a very close match and I had good chances of winning so there is regret of not bagging the title even after reaching this far, she said. Our match was stopped for about five minutes due to the Chief Ministers arrival which gave Aditi ample time to think out her game tactics. I was leading 7-3 then. After that I lost concentration and could not make up for my points, she explained. Even though I controlled the game at many points, Aditi had experience to her advantage, she added. Arundhati who is venturing into new territories, is happy to play club tournaments. The training at Gopichand Academy has really helped me a lot. I am now playing club tournaments as well which keeps me in good rhythm. It gives me a lot of exposure and I can build on my experience too, said Arundhati before leaving for Sweden on Tuesday.Arundhati has been consistent on the national senior circuit. She won the senior ranking tournament in Rae Barely in August and was a finalisit at the Bengaluru ranking tournament in July. However, Arundhati missed the Indian Open Grand Prix in December due to an injury. I really wanted to play in Hyderabad but was injured then. However, I am in good form now and working on my fitness as well, she said.

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