Sathish’s career has seen an upswing in 2023, thanks to four title-winning runs Premium

Sathish Kumar's rise to success in badminton, from his humble beginnings to his first Super 100 title at the Odisha Masters tournament.

K. Sathish’s game is an amalgamation of solid defence and strong attack. The recently concluded BWF Odisha Masters International badminton tournament at Cuttack bore testimony to the 22-year-old’s rising status.

Against the reigning World junior championship bronze medalist, Ayush Shetty, in the final, Sathish provided a rich variety of his strokes to bag his first Super 100 title at the Grade 2 tournament.

Prior to this, Sathish has been playing mostly in the lower strata of tournaments, the Grade 3 events such as the International Challenge and International Series. Of the 19 tournaments he competed in in 2023, 10 were at the Grade 3 level.

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In such a scenario, the manner of his performance at Cuttack must have definitely given him the confidence that he can reach greater heights.

Sathish’s placements, jump smashes and excellent retrieves rankled Ayush to no end. There were a few shots that stayed in one’s mind.

At 18-17 in the first game, Sathish effected a backhand drop. Such was its perfection that Ayush, who was in a position to take it, could hardly move a step forward. Then, at 19-18 in the first game, with Ayush parked perfectly in the middle, Sathish pushed a backhand from close to the net to the backcourt to the right side, leaving Ayush a mere spectator. A ferocious smash down the line, to close out the first game, showed Sathish’s attacking instincts.