Pune: 14-year- old Varun Kapur extended his dream run by annexing his third title in two weeks after bagging the Under-17 Singles crown in the 1st Junior State Selection tournament at the Nutan College, Parbhan.

The Pune-based trainee of the Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy – NKBA signed off with the distinction of being the only unseeded player among the four winners of the day and do Pune proud.

In the final, Varun downed Nagpur-lad Sudhanshu Bhure 21-19, 12-21, 21-12 in a 49-minute battle. Earlier in the semifinal, Varun caused the biggest upset of the tournament by putting out top-seeded Yash Shah of Pune 21-14, 21-15.

Varun’s title comes close on the back the double crown he won at the Sub Junior State Selection at Mulund and the Under-15 international title he won in Croatia.

The Under-17 title also turns out to be a maiden first for the student of Ryan International School, Bavdhan.

Varun said; “It’s a great feeling to top in a higher age-group. This is my first U-17 title and I owe it to all at the Academy who have helped me achieve.”

NKBA Director and Coach Nikhil Kanetkar said; “Varun has shown promise and has worked hard towards gaining success. His results are results of his dedication.”

RESULTS

F: Sudhanshu Bhure (Nag) 21-19, 12-21, 21-12
SF: b 1-Yash Shah (Pn) 21-14, 21-15
QF: b Harshal Jadhav (Sat) 21-13, 21-16
R4: b Gandhar Nawale (Ngp) 21-18, 21-17
R3: b Visham Parikh (Bor) 15-7, 15-9
R2: W/o Shirvel Pothbare (Bed)
R1: Bye