Big Haul for Heidi Bender – Review: BWF World Senior Championships 2017

Big Haul for Heidi Bender – Review: BWF World Senior Championships 2017

Germany’s Heidi Bender won a triple crown at the BWF World Senior Championships 2017 that concluded on Sunday in Kochi, to emerge as the most successful player of the event.

Bender (featured image) won the Women’s Singles +55 category in the morning beating England’s Sue Sheen 21-8 21-8. She then returned to court for the Mixed Doubles +55 final with Indonesia’s Bobby Ertanto. The top seeds needed just 21 minutes to get past Thailand’s Bovornovadep Devakula/Juthatip Banjongsilp 21-15 21-8.

Bender’s third victory was in the Women’s Doubles +55 with Denmark’s Birte Bach Steffensen. It was another short affair for Bender and she and Steffensen powered past Japan’s Miyoko Sato/Kuniko Yamamoto 21-12 21-15.

Nine players – Christine Crossley (England), Jim Garrett and Betty Bartlett (all England); Stanislav Pukhov, Maria Koloskova and Olga Arkhangelskaya (Russia); Bobby Ertanto (Indonesia), Dorte Steenberg (Denmark) and Pornroj Banditpisut (Thailand) – won two crowns each.

The closest matches of the 40 on finals day were in the Men’s Singles +60 and Women’s Doubles +70 categories.

In the Men’s Singles +60 final, top seed Dan Travers (Scotland) overcame a stubborn challenge from Sri Lankan second seed Arnold Dendeng after saving three match points in a 31-minute thriller: 13-21 21-16 26-24.

The Women’s Doubles +70 final was similarly hotly contested between Japan’s Sumiko Ishikawa/Satoko Nakamura and England’s Beryl Goodall/Mary Jenner.

The third game was a topsy-turvy affair, with the Japanese duo recovering from 17-19 and saving two match points before their own third opportunity: 21-10 19-21 25-23.

The only Indians to win a title were Rupesh Kumar/Sanave Thomas in the Men’s Doubles +35 category. Kumar and Thomas were 21-12 17-21 7-9 against compatriots V Diju/JBS Vidyadhar when their opponents retired.

Germany’s Elvira Richter won the Women’s Singles +70 in a tough three-setter, 21-15 20-22 21-10 over Japan’s Sumiko Kaneko, while in the Women’s Doubles +40, Louise Culyer (England)/Dorte Steenberg (Denmark) triumphed over two Olgas – Olga Bryant (England) and Olga Kuznetsova (Russia).

For full results, click here

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