India teen Tanisha Crasto stars as India sweep Dubai badminton competition

Dubai: International player Tanisha Crasto was the standout performer as India made a clean sweep of all the titles on offer in the badminton competition of DSC Dubai Sports Community Clubs’ Tournament that concluded at the Dubai Sports World at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday.

The 17-year old Crasto, who is one of India’s top-ranked junior doubles players and has represented the country at the World Junior Badminton Championships, showed great resilience on the day, winning all eight of her matches in front of an appreciative audience.

Last month, Crasto was included in the Indian Government’s Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) that assists athletes to carry their dreams for medals at future Olympic Games.

A Grade 12 commerce student at the Indian High School, Dubai, trains at the Prime Star Sport Academy while balancing her time between studying for her Board Examinations next year and the postponed BWF World Junior Championships now scheduled for January 11-24, 2021.

Crasto featured in three of the eight triumphs while winning the women’s singles defeating compatriot Tanika Sequeira 15-8, 15-4, before adding the doubles and mixed doubles gold.

In the women’s doubles, Crasto paired with Vidya Manghnani to beat the Nepalese duo of Gyanu Maya Baral and Saniya Chand 15-5, 15-9, while she won the mixed doubles alongside James Varghese, defeating another Nepalese pair of Bikki Budha and Gyanu Maya Baral 15-5, 15-6.

In the men’s singles final, India’s Sachin Seth prevailed 15-12, 15-6 over China’s Che Liang, while the Indian duo of Rohith Haridas and Shibil CP rallied to clinch the men’s doubles crown, edging Michael Nucop Shapcotte and Vicente Reyes of the Philippines 11-15, 15-8, 15-12.

In the basketball championship, Syria beat the Philippines 45-41 in the women’s final, while the Philippines men edged USA 49-47 for the title. In the cricket tournament, India Club 2 defeated India Club 1 for the crown.

Organised by Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Sports Community Clubs’ Tournament featured players and teams from 14 social clubs and communities of Dubai, including India Club, Pakistani Club, Jordanian Social Club, Sudanese Social Club, Egyptian Social Club, Filipino Social Club, the Lebanese Community, the Syrian Community, the Nepalese Community, the Sri Lankan Community, the American Community, the Indonesian Community, the Yemeni Community and the Chinese Community.