Kiran George, Ishaan Bhatnagar-Sai Pratheek emerge champions in Polish International Series Badminton

Kiran George warmed up for the Thomas Cup in a perfect manner by winning the men’s singles title in the Polish International Series Badminton tournament which concluded at Zakopane, Poland on Sunday.

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

Fifth seed Kiran George halted the dream run of qualifier Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore to reign supreme in the men's singles.

The 21-year-old Kerala shuttler rallied back splendidly to edge past Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh 13-21, 21-14, 21-13 in the final.

In an engrossing battle which lasted for 46 minutes, Kiran George started poorly but staged a remarkable recovery to oust the dangerous Singaporean, who had beaten a couple of Indians including Priyanshu Rajawat and fourth seed Chirag Sen earlier in the tournament. The world No. 235 surprised everyone to reach the final.

Kiran George, world No. 101, has been in outstanding form this month. Earlier this month, Kiran finished top in the Indian team’s selection trials held for the Thomas and Uber Cup in Hyderabad.

The talented youngster continued his spectacular run by pocketing the Polish Open title. The win will keep him in good stead ahead of the prestigious Thomas and Uber Cup.

Kiran George makes light work of Collins in the semis

Earlier in the morning, Kiran needed just 21 minutes to get the better of Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria 21-14, 21-7. Kiran took an early lead and established it till the end. The second game was a cakewalk for the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy trainee as he demolished his Austrian rival in quick time.

Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek shock fourth seeds from England to win men’s doubles title

On the eve of the finals, the Indians were poised to win four out of their five titles. In the end, Indians managed to win two which included the triumph of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek K.

Qualifiers Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek upset fourth seeds Rory Easton and Zach Russ in the final

In an exciting men’s doubles final, Ishaan Bhatnagar and Sai Pratheek stunned fourth seeds Rory Easton and Zach Russ of England 21-18, 27-25 in 39 minutes.

Considering the fact that Ishaan and Sai Pratheek made the cut for the main draw through qualifications, it was indeed a remarkable performance.

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela go down in the women’s doubles final

The new pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela stormed into the women’s doubles final with a surprising victory over the fourth seeds in the semi-finals.

The unseeded pair of Treesa and Gayatri recorded a come-from-behind victory over Sweden’s Johanna Magnusson and Clara Nistad earlier in the day. Treesa and Gayatri displayed a very good performance to post a 19-21, 21-16, 21-18 victory in 52 minutes.

Treesa Jolly (L) and Gayatri Gopichand lost to Margot Lambert-Anne Tran of France in the final Enter caption

However, later in the day, Treesa and Gayatri failed to deliver a knock-out punch as they went down to Margot Lambert and Anne Tran of France 10-21, 18-21 in 38 minutes.

Unseeded Samiya Imad Farooqui loses to third seed in the women’s singles final

Samiya Imad Farooqui's dream run ended in the final of the women’s singles. The 18-year-old Hyderabad player lost to third seed Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi of Singapore 11-21, 9-21 in 31 minutes.

Earlier in the semis, the world No. 2 in the Under-19 girls singles, Samiya quelled the spirited challenge from Polina Buhrova of Ukraine 21-15, 16-21, 21-12. The marathon semi-final lasted for 53 minutes.

Indian players performed well in the Polish International Series

Indian Results

(Semi-finals)

Men’s singles

5-Kiran George bt Collins Valentine Filimon (Austria) 21-14, 21-7 (21 minutes)

Women’s singles

Samiya Imad Farooqui bt Polina Buhrova (Ukraine) 21-15, 16-21, 21-12 (53 minutes)

Men’s doubles

Ishaan Bhatnagar-Sai Pratheek K bt 3-Fabien Delrue-William Villeger (France) 21-7, 22-20 (31 minutes)

Women’s doubles

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela bt 4-Johanna Magnusson-Clara Nistad (Sweden) 19-21, 21-16, 21-18 (52 minuters)

(Finals)

Men’s singles

5-Kiran George bt Jia Heng Jason Teh (Singapore) 13-21, 21-14, 21-13 (46 minutes)

Women’s singles

Samiya Imad Farooqui lost to 3-Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi (Singapore) 11-21, 9-21 (31 minutes)

Men’s doubles

Ishaan Bhatnagar-Sai Pratheek K bt 4-Rory Easton-Zach Russ (England) 21-18, 27-25 (39 minutes)

Women’s doubles

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela lost to Margot Lambert-Anne Tran (France) 10-21, 18-21 (38 minutes).