National champion Rashila Maharjan closed in on three titles at the ninth Pusha Lal Memorial Ranking National Badminton Championships in Itahari on Friday.

The Tribhuvan Army Club shuttler advanced to the women’s singles, women’s doubles and U-17 girls’ singles finals on Friday. Maharjan overcame the second set debacle to dispatch the former champion Jessica Gurung 21-17, 18-21, 21-13 in the women’s singles semi-final. Maharjan will take on the defending champion Nangshal Devi Tamang of Bhojpur in the championship match. Nangshal eased past Seema Rajbanshi of Morang 21-17, 21-12 in the other semi-final match.

Teaming up with Ranjana Bhatt, Maharjan also made it to the women’s doubles final where the Army club duo will take on Jessica and Pooja Shrestha. Bhatt and Maharjan saw off Samjhana Sharma of Banke and Seema of Morang 21-15, 21-17, while the Armed Police Force Club shuttlers Jessica and Pooja got the better of Amita Giri and Anumaya Rai of Army club 21-15, 11-21, 21-17 in the semi-finals.

Maharjan then set the U-17 girls’ singles title showdown with Seema after defeating Seema Rose Pandey of Morang 21-9, 21-6. Seema won her semi-final match against Ranjana Bhatt 16-21, 21-16, 21-14.

National men’s champion Dipesh Dhami set up men’ singles title clash with seven-time champion Ratnajit Tamang. Dhami saw off another former national champion Bikash Shrestha of Bhojpur 21-12, 21-14 while Ratnajit beat his Army teammate Nabin Shrestha 21-14, 21-19 in the semi-finals. Top-seeded 16 shuttlers are contesting in the men’s singles category.

Dhami and Ratnajit will also be up against each other in the men’s doubles final. Dhami teamed up with Bijeet Thapa Magar to defeat Riyaz Ansari and Irfan Ansari of Banke 21-15, 21-17. Ratnajit and Nabin got the better of Army club’s Rukesh Maharjan and Praful Maharjan 21-15, 24-22 in the other last-four clash.

Pabin Lingthep of Army and Dev Raj Rana of Kailali set up the title duel in a separate men’s singles open category. Lingthep rallied from a set down to beat Priyanshu Singh Chhetri of APF 19-21, 21-11, 221-18, while Rana defeated Niranjan Devkota of APF 22-10, 21-18 in the last-four clashes.

Manisha Khadka of Zest Badminton Academy and Prarthana Deuba of Kailali advanced to the women’s singles open category final. Khadka battled to a 22-21, 13-21, 21-7 win over Sushma Shrestha of Banke, while Dueba advanced after her opponent Safee Khatri of Zest retired hurt trailing 21-16, 19-10.

Amrit Chaudhary and Priyanshu Chhetri set the U-17 boys’ singles title date. Chaudhary of Kailali beat Himal Chand of Kanchanpur 21-10- 21-18 and Chhetri of APF defeated Bhoj Bahadur Gurung of Army club 21-15, 21-19 in the semi-finals.