Maisnam Meiraba triumphs in Latvia, bags 1700 points to earn world ranking

A lot has changed in a matter of a few days for Maisnam Meiraba. Teenager Meiraba had no world ranking just a few days ago but now he is World No. 550 thanks to his prowess at Latvia's International Future Series badminton tournament.

It has certainly been a memorable week for Maisnam Meiraba. He created history by winning the tournament after qualifying for the main draw on debut.

Qualifier Meiraba arrived on the big stage by clinching the senior international title in his first ever tournament in Jelgava on Sunday. The 18-year-old Meiraba thumped Alex Lanier of France 21-15, 12-21, 22-20 in a hard-fought summit clash which lasted for 75 minutes. Meiraba overcame a mid-match slump to record a memorable win.

With this triumph, Manipur lad Meiraba has proved his ability and launched his senior international campaign on a perfect note. Meiraba displayed his immense potential to stamp his authority in style. No wonder Meiraba is elated with this wonderful victory.

“I am very happy to be able to win my first senior international tournament. When I entered the tournament I never thought of going all the way. My first target was to qualify for the main draw. Once I cleared four rounds in the qualifications I grew in confidence. I did well and managed to defeat several higher ranked opponents. I now look forward to upcoming matches in the future with confidence,” said Meiraba.

The reigning national junior champion Meiraba traveled alone to Latvia and managed everything on his own in the time of pandemic.

It was quite a nice experience for me: Meiraba

Meiraba skipped the ongoing Indian team selection trials in Hyderabad to opt for the Latvian tournament and his decision proved right.

Maisnam Meiraba with the trophy in Latvia on Sunday

“It was quite a nice experience for me. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, there were many formalities to complete and challenges galore throughout the journey. I am glad I managed to do it all by myself and also play well in the tournament,” said Meiraba.

Meiraba has been training at the Bengaluru-based Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy since 2015. The promising teenager came back from the brink of defeat to upset fifth seed Bernardo Atilano of Portugal 17-21, 22-20, 21-12 in the pre-quarterfinals.

The former Under-19 boys’ singles World No. 2 Meiraba survived a big scare early in the tournament and was almost out of contention after being match-point down.

I was calm and I played what I needed to play at that moment: Meiraba

Meiraba kept his composure and pulled off a dramatic three-game win against his Portuguese rival after saving a match point in the second game.

“Well I was calm and I played what I needed to play at the moment. It was a tough situation. After losing the first game 17-21, I was down 19-20 in the second. However, I did not give up and won 22-20 by winning three points in succession. I have never looked back since that moment,” said Meiraba.

Meiraba bagged 1700 points from this triumph which helped him get a world ranking of 550. Meiraba wants to give credit for his success to Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy coaches and his parents.

“I want to attribute my success to my academy and to my father and to my mother and above all to my god blessings that I won my first international tournament. I will try to live up to the expectations of my coaches in the years to come,” said Meiraba.

The talented teenager Meiraba is now returning to Bengaluru before he heads to Europe again to play another tournament. The Victor Ukraine International Series will be held from September 7 to 10 at Kharkiv. Meiraba will train for a few days in Bengaluru and is likely to board a flight to Ukraine by the weekend.