Samir pulls off title double in Bahrain

Fresh from his victory at the Bahrain International Series, Sameer Verma bagged his second title in a row at the Bahrain International Challenge, beating Singapore’s Zi Lian Derek Wong 21-14, 21-10 in Sunday’ final.

Seeded 11, Sameer upset top seed and world no. 42 Tien Minh Nguyen in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Rahul Yadav 21-13, 21-17 in the semis.

Sameer later said, “I am really happy with the way I have been able to play over the last two weeks. There were some tough matches — especially the quarter-finals and I am happy to have won. After these victories, I hope that I can continue my good form through the year.”

Verma’s has been supported by GoSports Foundation since 2012. In addition to providing additional funding to enable him to compete in international tournaments, it also assists him with injury management and rehabilitation support.

Speaking about supporting Sameer, foundation programme director Saisudha Sugavanam, said, “We have been supporting him since he was a junior, and it has been our pleasure to see him grow into a confident player. He is immensely talented, but he had some injury concerns last year and we worked with him on managing these injuries. He has made a strong comeback this year.”