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Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth, Prannoy advance in Badminton Asia Championships
Wuhan, April 25 (IANS) Star Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth registered contrasting victories in their respective opening round singles matches at the Badminton Asia Championships at the Wuhan Sports Centre here on Wednesday.
While Saina and Sindhu registered straight game victories over their respective rivals to enter the second round of women’s singles, Srikanth had to fight it out in his men’s singles opener.
World No.12 Saina, who recently clinched the gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, hardly lost sweat in thrashing Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-12, 21-9.
Sindhu, who had lost to Saina in the CWG final to settle for the silver, defeated Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po 21-14, 21-19 in the women’s singles competition.
Former World No 1 Saina will meet China’s Gao Fangjie, while Rio Olympics and world championship silver medallist Sindhu, seeded third, faces another Chinese Chen Xiaoxin next.
In the men’s singles, top seed and CWG silver medallist Srikanth eked out a come-from-behind 13-21, 21-16, 21-16 win over Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto to set up a clash with Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Ki Vincent.
B. Sai Praneeth also advanced to the second round after beating Thailand’s Suppanyu Avihingsanon 21-13, 11-21, 21-19 while H.S. Prannoy defeated another Thai shutter Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-15, 19-21, 21-19 to proceed.
While World No.19 Sai Praneeth will be up against Chinese World No.3 Chen Long, Prannoy will meet Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-wei in the second round.
However, Sameer Verma’s fight against seventh seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei ended with a 21-23, 17-21 loss.
The men’s doubles pair of Arjun M.R. and Ramchandran Shlok and women’s combo of Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S. Ram too joined the singles stars in the second round after pulling off thrilling wins in the opening round.
Arjun and Ramchandran registered a hard-fought 25-23, 23-21 win against World championship quarterfinalists Chung Eui Seok and Kim Dukyoung of Korea, while Meghana and Poorvisha held their nerves in pressure situations to beat Singapore’s Ong Ren-Ne and Wong Jia Ying Crystal 14-21, 22-20, 21-17 in a women’s doubles encounter.
However, mixed doubles pair of Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh lost 17-21, 14-21 to South Korean combo of Kim Won Ho and Shin Seung Chan.
Another Indian pair of Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan also crashed out after losing 11-21, 13-21 to Hong Kong’s Lee Chun Hei Reginald and Chau Hoi Wah.
–IANS
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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.