Jacob Thomas had beaten the top-seeded K. Govind in a recent ranking tournament but he knew the men’s singles final of the Kerala State senior badminton championship here on Saturday evening would not be easy.
And things appeared to be going Govind’s way when he led 13-9 in the second game but Jacob waited patiently for his opponent to commit mistakes.
“I just wanted to keep the shuttle on court, just wanted to be patient during the long rallies,” said 21-year-old Jacob after winning his maiden State senior title. Ernakulam’s Andrea Sarah Kurien, who had won the under-17 girls title earlier, staved off a late challenge from Alappuzha’s S. Megha, in straight games for her first State women’s title.
