KUWAIT CITY, Nov 28: Ravishankar and Jabbar Farooqi were in class by themselves when they ran over all the opposition in the final stages of the Two Day Tournament organized by the Indian Badminton Association – Kuwait (IBAK) being held at the Sabah Al Salem, Friday. Ravishankar and Farooqi seemed to sometimes give the spectators a feeling that they were toying with their opponents and the score gives a reflection of this situation, but the situation on the ground showed that scorelines sometimes are not an indication of the facts for they were given a run for their money in at least one set of each match.

This event was made possible by the IBAK Organizing Committee which is committed to delivering quality matches for the IBAK members who have crossed the 500-mark since the organization’s birth in June this year. If you count the non-members who took part in the IBAK competitions this number swells up.
The two day tournament which ended on Friday had four categories: Blue Tier, Red Tier, Green Tier and Yellow Tier among which all the players had been divided with the Blue Tier being the top category with the most experienced players and the Yellow Tier showcasing all those enthusiasts who only recently taken to the badminton courts. All classes involved the matches being played for a running score of 21 points. In case of a tie a slide of two points won the set or match.

Blue Tier
The tandem of Ravishankar and Jabbar Farooqi proved that they are the best pair in this two-day tourney’s highest class when they fought wisely by stepping on the accelerator in the last two sets to edge Dr Manimara Chozhan and Roman Alekseev 17-21, 21-11, 21-12.
Chozhan and Alekseev started the match strongly against their more favored opponents.They were involved in long rallies with their rivals in a set which saw long rallies, cross-court and drop shots with both the sides being cheered by their supporters. The crowd was silenced for a while when Chozhan and Alekseev took the first set after a seesaw battle but they were clearly the stronger side as they gave away only 17 points to go one up in the match.
Needing only one more set win to take the crown, Chozhan and Alekseev ran into a revitalized pair as Ravishankar and Farooqi knew that if they let their opponents take control of the game they were doomed and their only chance of moving towards the crown was to level the game by taking the second set and forcing the match into a deciding third set.
Ravishankar and Farooqi were totally a different pair in the second set as they took their rivals apart with an ease which comes with a lot of experience and lot for the game. They had their rivals running all over the court and the domination was such that they gave away only 11 points to take the set and level the match. One could see that the effort exerted by Chozhan and Alekseev in the first set had taken its toll although they refused to give up the fight.

Sensing that they had their rivals on the run, Ravishankar and Farooqi stepped up the pressure in the third and deciding set. By now they were in total control of the match and they refused to lift their foot from the accelerator nor did they show any sign of tiredness as they gave away only 12 points to clinch the third set and with it the championship crown.The manner in which they won showed they were worthy of being called the champions but a lot of credit must be given to their rivals who refused to buckle under the pressure and tried to hold their own as long as they could against a superior pair.
In the semi finals the tandem of Ravishankar and Jabbar Farooqi brushed aside Chandramouli and Faheem Contractor 21-12, 21-17 while Dr. Manimara Chozhan and Roman Alekssev overwhelmed Mathews Jacob and Bader Kalliparambu 21-16, 21-11.
Both the semifinals had a similar note with the winners conceding nearly the same number of points over the two sets. Ravishankar and Farooqi did not take long to win the first set, conceding only 12 points before easing off in the second set and giving away 17 points to clinch the match.
For Chozhan and Alekssev, things went exactly in the reverse. They conceded 16 points after a fight in the first set but they really pressed down hard in the second set, losing only 11 points in the second to take the match and qualify for the finals.

Red Tier
Unnikrishnan and Jijo achieved the highest honor in Red Tier when they overpowered Krishnakumar and Dinesh 21-9, 21-10.
It was one-way traffic right from the start for Unnikrishnan and Jijo as they got off to a roaring start and made everything look very easy in the first set, giving away only 9 points to put their mark on their rivals. They did not let the pressure off in the second set, conceding only one point more than they did in the first set to take the match and with it the crown. It seemed that their opponents had their strength drained by their semifinal match as they had been involved in a very tough fight.
Earlier in the semi finals Unnikrishnan and Jijo broke no sweat when they hammered Sajith and Sunikumar 21-9, 21-8 while Krishnakumar and Dinesh thumped Prem and Anil in back to back sets 21-17, 21-17.
Unnikrishnan and Jijo had done a terrific job in the semifinals, brushing away the opposition in a way that showed that their game was much superior than the pair on the other side of the court. It was a similar story in both the sets, the first seeing the ultimate champions giving away only 9 points and being more miserly in the second when then they conceded 8 points.
For Krishnakumar and Dinesh things were not that easy although they dominated their game with their opponents taking away 17 points in each set and making them fight every inch of the way. The fight was close before the winners were able to stamp their authority on the game.
With both the semifinals and finals immediately afterwards it was natural for Krishnakumar and Dinesh to be drained of their strength before the final after their close semifinal while their opponents were nearly fresh after their easy win.

Green Tier
It was a walk in the park for Aravindan and Bharanidharan to get their hands on the Green Tier title when they thrashed Salim Kottayil and Naufal M M 21-9, 21-7.
This was another game in which is there was no doubt which was the better side as Aravindan and Bharanidharan were so good that they cut their opponents literally to pieces as they conceded only 9 points in the first set and stepped down hard on the accelerator in the second to give away 7 points to take away the set, match and with their easy win the crown.
In the semi finals Salim Kottayil and Naufal M put in their best efforts to outlast Faiz Foizen and Aun Foizen 21-19, 16-21, 21-17 while Aravindan and Bharanidharan acquired an easy victory when they won by default against Prasad K T and Baburaj.
It seems that victory by default for the champions kept them fresh for the championship match while Kottayil and Naufal were tired out by the close 3-set victory in the semifinals.
Faiz Foizen and Aun Foizen gave it their all by losing the first set by only two points before showing their class in the second to level the match. The third set was also very close before Kottayil and Naufal showed that they were the pair with a stronger determination and more skills to win the game and get a slot in the finals.

Yellow Tier
In Yellow Tier, the tandem of Sai Balagopal and Nithin S. bagged the crown when they overwhelmed Vineeth and Darvin 21-14, 21-19.
In this category, which is the lowest of all the four into which the tournament had been divided, Balagopal and Nithin showed that they had all the skills to move up a grade and take on opponents with more experience when they took the first set very easily before being involved in a tough second set which could have gone either way with Vineeth and Darvin refusing to give up.They fought for every point in a bid to level the match and force a deciding third set but Balagopal and Nithin stuck to their task to win by 2 points to take the match and with it the title.
Earlier in the semi finals Sai Balagopal and Nithin S wasted no effort to beat Sohail and Fathima 21-8, 21-4 while Vineeth and Darvin brushed aside Shania Ajay and Saikrishna 21-14, 21-11.
Both the semifinals were easy games with the ultimate finalists showing why they were the ones who would be playing for the crown.They were just too good for their opponents.

Winners:
Blue Tier
Ravishankar and Jabbar Farooqi
Red Tier
Unnikrishnan and Jijo
Green Tier
Aravindan and Bharanidharan
Yellow Tier
Sai Balagopal and Nithin S.