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Momota wins Indonesia Open title
Jakarta, July 8 (IANS) Japan’s Kento Momota defeated Danish world No 1 Viktor Axelsen 21-14, 21-9 on Sunday to win the Indonesia Open badminton tournament, a BWF Tour 1000 event.
Winning the title marks a huge turnaround in the recent fortunes of the 23-year-old Japanese star shuttler. Momota, a former world No 2 who was suspended for just over a year by the Nippon Badminton Association (and missed the Rio Olympics) after admitting in early 2016 that he had visited an illegal casino in his homeland, struggled at the start of his comeback last year, reported Efe.
On Sunday, Momota rolled to a straight sets win over Axelsen, who had rallied for an 18-21, 21-14, 21-11 victory over Chinese world No 3 Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Momota had booked his spot in the final with a 23-21, 21-12 semifinals win over 35-year-old Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei.
The Japanese star has been on a roll this year, making up for lost time. Momota stunned the badminton world in April by defeating a series of world-class opponents, including Lee and Chinese defending Olympic champion Chen Long, to win the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China.
He then continued his impressive form in May at the prestigious Thomas Cup in Thailand, where he won all six of his matches, including straight-game wins over Axelsen and Chen.
Meanwhile, Indonesia won the men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles here, reported Xinhua news agency.
No 1 seeds Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon outclassed Japan’s Takuto Inoue and Yuki Kaneko 21-13, 21-16 in 31 minutes to win the men’s title, underlining their superiority with a win record against the Japanese pairing that now stands at 4-0.
Sukamuljo and Gideon earned $92,500 in prize money for their win, while their Japanese rivals received $43,750.
Indonesia’s top mixed doubles shuttlers Tontowi Ahmad and Lilyana Natsir successfully defended their title after beating Chan Peng Son and Goh Liu Ying of Malaysia 21-17, 21-8.
The final was a rematch of the 2016 Rio Olympics final where Tontowi and Lilyana won with scores of 21-14, 21-12.
The women’s doubles title went to Japanese Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirot, who defeated compatriots Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara 21-14, 16-21, 21-14.
The women’s singles title was won by Chinese Taipei’s top seed Tai Tzu Ying, who defeated Chinese fifth seed Chen Yufei 21-23, 21-15, 21-9 in 54 minutes.
–IANS
pur/vd
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.