14-year-old Mumbai shuttler Taarini Suri bags a triple crown in Finland

Promising shuttler Taarini Suri bagged a triple crown at the FZ Forza Finnish junior international badminton tournament in Espoo, Finland on Sunday.

The four-day tournament was organized by the Finnish Badminton Association under the auspices of the Badminton World Federation.

Taarini Suri dominated the tournament and made a clean sweep of the titles. 14-year-old Taarini participated in the Under-15 girls singles, U-17 girls doubles as well as Under-15 mixed doubles with European partners.

It was the first time Mumbai girl Taarini had won any international tournament. She made her form count by winning all three events she participated in.

Second seed Taarini Suri outclassed Emilia Sapovalova of Estonia 21-7, 21-8 in just 15 minutes in the U-15 girls' singles final. Taarini got off to a flying start and took an early lead. The talented teenager maintained her substantial lead in both games to pocket her maiden international crown.

Taarini’s opponent Emilia Sapovalova of Estonia stunned top seed Saga Stromberg of Denmark 21-9, 23-21 in the semi-finals.

Earlier in the Under-15 girls' singles semi-final, Taarini thumped Anvita Harakamani 21-13, 21-10 in 20 minutes.

Taarini Suri excels in doubles too

Proving her all-round ability, Taarini Suri also made her mark in the doubles category by claiming both doubles titles. In the Under-17 girls doubles, Taarini Suri and Chloe Dennis of England rallied back splendidly to defeat Lila Dundas and Brooke Stalker of England.

Taarini Suri (extreme right) partnered with Chloe Dennis of England in the Under-17 girls doubles

The English pair won their first game, putting a lot of pressure on the new combination of Taarini and Chloe. However, Taarini-Chloe bounced back strongly to clinch a 17-21, 21-17, 11-8 win as opponents retired midway through the deciding game.

Third seeds Taarini and Chloe Dennis knocked out top seeds Elisaveta Berik and Emili Parsim 21-15, 21-14 in 21 minutes to enter the final.

Delighted to win my first international title: Taarini Suri

Taarini Suri has been training under the able guidance of Hufrish Nariman for the last six years in Mumbai. Former Indian badminton player Hufrish is a coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Mumbai. Taarini has performed well in state and national-level tournaments but winning overseas has delighted her the most.

“I am thrilled to win three titles in Finland. The competition was tough and I got good exposure. The Triple crown has certainly boosted my confidence. It will help me perform better in the next tournaments. I am slated to play a few more tournaments in Europe as there has been no competition in India for the last two years,” said Taarini while talking to Sportskeeda.

In the Under-15 mixed doubles summit clash, top seeds Taarini Suri and Elmeri Lybeck of Finland prevailed over Anish Nair and Jessica Burden of England. Taarini and Elmeri faced stiff resistance in the first game but gained control as the match progressed to post 22-20, 21-13 victory.

Taarini Suri is all smiles on the podium

Taarini and Elmeri overcame a solid challenge from third seeds Rasmus Roogsoo and Lumikki Lilas 22-20, 21-18 in the mixed doubles semis.

Results (All Finals)

Under-15 girls singles

2-Taarini Suri bt Emilia Sapovalova (Estonia) 21-7, 21-8 (15 minutes)

Under-17 girls doubles

3-Taarini Suri-Chloe Dennis (England) bt Lila Dundas-Brooke Stalker (England) 17-21, 21-17, 11-8 (Retired)

Under-15 mixed doubles

1-Taarini Suri-Elmeri Lybeck (Finland) bt Anish Nair-Jessica Burden (England) 22-20, 21-13.