<div>Shuttler Akendra Darjee hopes to end the year by winning the PSA-NIA Maharashtra State Open badminton title and till yesterday he was right on track. Darjee comfortably advanced to the U-15 boys' quarterfinals with a 30-27 win over Nirav Sthalekat at North India Association courts.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="/imagedata/2011/dec/Darjee.jpg" border="5" align="" alt="" /><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: 8pt; ">Akendra Darjee</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Coming from a humble background, the 14-year-old top seed wants to win the title so that he can buy a new racquet with the prize money. His sporting expenditure though are looked after by the state government under their Kreeda Prabodhan scheme for underprivileged kids. u00a0</div><div><br /></div><div>"I want to win this title badly, as I can buy myself a good Yonex racquet with the prize money. I have earned some money by doing duty of a linesman at the recently concluded Tata Open, but I need some more and this win could give me that," Akendra told MiD DAY.</div><div><br /></div><div>His stint as a linesman at the Tata Open helped him learn on-court tactics used by international players. "Being a linesman in that meet was actually like learning the nuances of the game live. I learnt how they deal with pressure during tight situations," he added.</div>        

Shuttler Akendra Darjee hopes to end the year by winning the PSA-NIA Maharashtra State Open badminton title and till yesterday he was right on track.

Akendra aims for new racquet

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Akendra aims for new racquet

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