Teen shuttler Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye nails it in France

Chembur-based girl wins France U-17 badminton Open on international debut in the category two days before her 15th birthday

City shuttler Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye, who turned 15 on April 24, is elated to have won the France U-17 Open (April 20-22 in Aire sur la Lys, France). The teen shuttler couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift. The win was extra special since it was her first international tournament in the U-17 category. 

In the final, Naishaa beat fourth seed Leana Laurent 21-15, 21-18. En route, she beat top seed Maja Janko of Poland 21-11, 21-7 in the semi-finals, registered a 21-15, 21,7 win over Olga Szwarnowiecka (Poland) in the quarter-finals and beat Ireland's Michelle Shochan 21-17, 21-12 in the Round of 16. 

Chembur-based Naishaa, who shuttles between Mumbai and Hyderabad to pursue her badminton dream, told www.mid-day.com that she did not expect to win the title. "It was my birthday on April 24 and I won the title on April 22. So it was like a perfect birthday gift for me since I did not expect to win the title. The win was special for two reasons. Firstly, it was the first international title in the U-17 category. Secondly, it was a very hectic travel schedule for me. I had played an U-19 tournament in France a week before and had to travel back to India to participate in the All India Senior Ranking tournament and then travel for this tournament. I won bronze in the U-19 event, and in the senior ranking tournament at Bahadurgarh, Haryana, I managed to qualify for the main draw. So it was a pretty hectic and crazy trip for me. But the win made sure I forget all the fatigue," said Naishaa, who trains at the Jitesh Padukone Shuttlers’ Academy at the North Indian Association, Sion, in Mumbai and at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) in Hyderabad.

She said the best part of the win was that she was able to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris. "I also had a ‘deal’ with my mother [Sapna] that if at all I win the title in France, she would have to take me to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. Before we returned to India [on April 22] I was able to tick one off my travel bucket list of seeing a lit Eiffel Tower. So my France trip was pretty much everything that I could have asked for. I came back to India and celebrated with Jitesh sir and others who have helped me in my journey," she signed off. 

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