Sourabh Verma wins Vietnam Open, beats Sun Fei Xiang in final
Ho Chi Minh City: India's Sourabh Verma registered a thrilling three-game win over China's Sun Fei Xiang to claim the men's singles title at the USD 75,000 Vietnam Open BWF Tour Super 100 badminton tournament here on Sunday.
Second seed Sourabh, who has won the Hyderabad Open and Slovenian International earlier this year, recovered from a mid-game slump to beat Sun 21-12 17-21 21-14 in the summit clash which lasted an hour and 12 minutes.
World no 38 Sourabh, who had won the National champion this year, will now play the USD 400,000 Korea Open World Tour Super 500 event to be held from September 24 to 29.
Sourabh dominated the proceedings in the opening game as he jumped to a 4-0 lead early on and kept moving ahead. He enjoyed a 11-4 cushion at the break and surged to a 15-4 advantage after the breather. Sun tried to recover but the gap was too wide to be bridged as Sourabh pocketed the first game comfortably.
The Chinese came out all guns blazing in the second game, zooming to a 8-0 lead. He lead 11-5 at the interval and even though the Indian tried to make a comeback, it proved an uphill task as Sun roared back into the contest.
In the decider, Sun had a slender 4-2 lead initially but Sourabh ensured he enjoyed 11-7 advantage at the breather. The Indian then maintained his lead, despite the Chinese snapping at his heels.
Leading 17-14, Sourabh blasted off the next four points to shut the door on his opponent and win his third title of the year.
The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh had won the Dutch Open and Korea Open last year.
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Two courts in Karnataka receive bomb threats, police launch probe
Dharwad/Mandya (Karnataka) (PTI): A bomb threat email was sent to the Karnataka High Court's Dharwad Bench and the district court in Mandya, prompting authorities to conduct extensive search operations on Monday, police said.
As a precautionary measure, lawyers and staff were evacuated from the court buildings in Dharwad and Mandya districts, they said.
Security personnel cordoned off the premises and carried out thorough checks, police said.
In Dharwad, Superintendent of Police Gunjan Arya visited the spot and inspected the High Court premises following the threat. Police launched a comprehensive search operation, and as a precautionary measure, everyone was evacuated from the building.
According to police, personnel from the bomb squad also reached the scene and continued the inspection.
Speaking to reporters in Dharwad, Arya said, "We are conducting a full inspection. Only our personnel are inside. The email message says the explosion would occur at 1:15 pm. We are gathering more information about the remaining details. The message also contains references to different states, so we cannot share further information at this moment."
In Mandya too, court proceedings were suspended following the bomb threat email. Judges, lawyers and litigants were evacuated from the premises.
The Bomb Disposal Squad, along with police, is carrying out a thorough search operation, officials said, adding that further investigation is underway.
