Yuvika Bajaj and Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye cruise into girls' final at Bombay Gymkhana

Unperturbed by losing the opening game, Thane’s Ved Bhoir booked his place in the boy’s singles under-19 finals of the Yonex-Sunrise Bombay Gymkhana Maharashtra Junior Badminton Tournament after registering a fine comeback victory in the semi-finals played at the Bombay Gymkhana here on Saturday.

The left-handed Bhoir who made a shaky start, regrouped admirably and fought back gamely to overcome the stiff challenge from Ritvik Sheth, winning 12-21, 21-10, 21-16 in very keenly contested match that went the distance on court number one here during the tournament’s second session.

Despite the reversal in the opening game, that was marked with few unforced errors, Bhoir rallied well to mount a strong comeback in the second game, which was crucial in the context of the match.

Cutting down on errors, he tightened his play to earn a handy lead that proved crucial in him winning the second game and force the match into decider.

Overall, there was little to separate the two players, who were involved in long, absorbing rallies. The third and final game followed a similar pattern with both players on even terms. It was only after the mid-game interval that saw Bhoir turned the match in his favor with flurry of winners to clinch the win and seal his place in the final.

In the summit clash to be played on Sunday morning, Bhoir will now meet Tanishq Kenjale who too charted out an identical route to progress. Kenjale in the second semi-final battled hard to overcome a tricky challenge from Eashwara Uppu, prevailing 21-15, 18-21, 21-17.

Meanwhile the girls singles under-19 final will feature Yuvika Bajaj and Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye, who won their respective semi-final encounters in straight games.

Yuvika playing the first semi-final got the better of Jashvi Bhatt 21-8, 21-14 while later Naishaa cruised past Prisha Shah 21-8, 21-6 in an emphatic display.

The tournament is being organized under the auspices of the Greater Mumbai Badminton Association (GMBA) and the Maharashtra Badminton Association (MBA).