Sourabh Verma reckons he’s still a work in progress after Russian Open triumph

Sourabh Verma reckons he’s still a work in progress after Russian Open triumph

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Fresh off an impressive win at the recently concluded Russian Open, Sourabh Verma has claimed that he is still a work in progress as he pointed out to areas where he can still improve. Verma defeated world number 119 Koki Watanabe of Japan 19-21 21-12 21-17 in the final of the event on Sunday.

Sourabh completed a superb outing at this year’s Russian Open emerging victorious in the final and ultimately lifted the trophy in Vladivostok, Russia. Sourabh had earlier clinched gold in the Chinese Taipei Masters and finished runners-up at Bitburger Open in 2016. But the Hyderabad-born athlete suffered an ankle injury and was out of action for two months in the build-up to this tournament.

The 25-year old fought valiantly in the finals against Watanabe, whom he defeated by a scoreline of 19-21 21-12 21-17, to secure the top step of the podium. But the Indian youngster was quick to point out that despite an impressive win, he still had areas to improve upon.

“I’m progressing but still have to improve certain areas in my game. Next for me is Asian games and I’m already working on my strength, which will help me to continue playing in the circuit and do well,” Sourabh told PTI sources after he was crowned Russian Open champion.

Prior to this tournament, Sourabh had won the All India senior ranking tournament in Bangalore as he made the cut for the Asian Games squad. The youngster endured a tough time on the sidelines due to his injury and made a comeback in New Zealand and Australia. Those two outings ended in disappointment for Sourabh as he made first-round exits in both the events after losing narrowly in the three games. 

“I started the year pretty well and confident but after Swiss open, I injured my ankle during a practice session and then my physios Arvind Nigam, Anuja Dalvi helped me getting back on court again,” he added.

Sourabh will look to build on this impressive win as he will travel with the Indian badminton contingent to Indonesia in the coming month for the quadrennial Asian Games to be held in Palembang.

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