Olympian Ouseph claims sixth national badminton title

Ouseph sealed his victory in straight sets against Baxter, who is no longer in full-time training, but was pushed all the way by the 27-year-old, before eventually winning 21-13, 21-15. And the 26-year-old insisted that he still gets a thrill from being called the national champion, claiming he hoped the win will help boost his recent dip in form. “I take pride from setting records like this,” said Ouseph. “Hopefully, this one will take a while to beat and each year I add to it, it’ll be harder to beat. For me, being called national champion fills me with emotion and pride. “It’s still a big deal to me – it might not be the toughest of competitions but it’s me making it what it is. “I had a little bit of a dip in form after the Olympics. I’ve seen it happen to other players but you never think it’s going to happen to you. “But the first couple of tournaments this year, I’ve played a little bit better and here I’ve done what I need to do to win. This is a stepping stone to the next couple of tournaments.” Elsewhere, Sarah Walker became a new name on the women’s singles trophy when she beat Fontaine Chapman, who had seen off former champions Elizabeth Cann in the semi-finals. Walker lost the first game 21-11, but recovered to take the two - winning 21-18 in both to take a scrappy encounter. It was the 23-year-old’s second final in three years and her first win, while Chapman is still returning from a long-term back injury. Chris Langridge secured a double, winning the mixed doubles with Heather Olver, 21-14, 24-22, against Marcus Ellis and Alyssa Lim. He then returned to beat Chris Adcock and Marcus Ellis, 13-21, 21-16, 22-20, with men's doubles partner Pete Mills. Lauren Smith was also a first-time winner at the nationals as her promising partnership with Gabrielle White saw off Olver and Mariana Agathangelou – who was coaxed out of retirement – 21-9, 21-9 in the women’s doubles. © Sportsbeat 2013