Reza Farhath has her name up on the list of the top-three badminton players in Kerala in the under 15 and under 17 categories in both the singles and doubles formats.
The 14-year old is a talent her coaches say is likely to rise up to the league of P V Sindhu or Saina Nehwal a few years down the line, if she is able to maintain, or amplify, the intensity and dedication she puts in her career now.
“That is the idea; to work hard and one day reach where Saina is today — at the world number one spot,” said the Kochiite.
“Being the world number one is my ultimate dream. But before that, I want to be the best in the country,” said Reza, who first attained national prominence in 2012 by clinching a runners-up trophy in doubles in an all-India ranking tournament at Vijayawada.
Though a natural doubles talent, Reza prefers to focus on developing further as a singles player.
“For now it is okay for me to play both the formats of the game. But essentially, I think I am a singles player,” she said.
Currently in class 9 at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kadavanthra, Reza started playing badminton on a regular basis when she was in class 3, after her family shifted from Kasargod to Kochi.
“The Regional Sports Centre was close to where we lived and I have seen my friends play badminton at the indoor stadium. Eventually, I also started playing,” she said.
Coach M J Mohanachandran, her mother Sajna said, had noticed Reza play and told her that she had a talent in the sport.
“On top of that, she liked playing badminton. So we enrolled her at the RSC. Initially, she was under the tutelage of coach Balachandran Thampi, but after a few months, Mohanachandran took over,” Sajna said.
Within a year, Reza proved her mettle in her new found vocation. She emerged the under-10 state champion in 2008 and has been a regular feature in title-winning teams at the national level Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan events since 2010.
More recently, in 2014, she paired up with Aadhya Variath from Kozhikode to win all the major under-15 doubles titles in the state. To top that, she joined forces with Monisha P C from Wayanad and swept all the doubles titles in the under-17 category that year.
At the same time, she finished runner-up in both the under-15 and under-17 singles events of the state championships.
While Reza plots further success on the court, her parents have a few plans up their sleeves too.
“In India itself, the competition is tough. If she wants to stay ahead of it, she will have to go outside the state. But (for the time being) she will have to stay in Kochi through the year as she will be in class 10 this academic year. After that, we are thinking maybe Bangalore or Hyderabad,” he mother said.
Reza is being currently trained by Sanave Thomas and Joy T Antony.