The All India Sub-Junior (U-15 and U-17) Ranking Badminton tournament kicked off with thrilling action at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Monday, where seeded players from Rajasthan largely met expectations with impressive displays across various categories.
Strong Start for Rajasthan Contenders
In the U-15 girls singles, second seed Anvi Rathore of Jaipur made a dominant start to her campaign, overpowering Jaynashree B of Karnataka with a commanding scoreline of 21-5, 21-7. However, the tournament witnessed a major upset as third seed Inayat Gulati of Punjab was eliminated in a hard-fought thriller. Hanshika Rakesh of Karnataka staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Gulati 13-21, 21-18, 21-19, showcasing the unpredictable nature of competitive badminton.
Boys Singles Showcase Local Talent
Rajasthan players delivered a brilliant performance in the U-15 boys singles, with several notable victories. Harsh Kandpal demonstrated exceptional resilience, rallying back superbly to oust Archis Bhattacharya of West Bengal in three intense games, finishing 19-21, 21-7, 21-10. Anand Maderna secured a solid win against Manan Sharma of Rajasthan with scores of 21-15, 21-18, while Satvik Agarwal downed Devansh Guniyal of Uttar Pradesh 21-8, 21-17. Adding to the success, Vayam Lamba got the better of Kangun Jamoh of Arunachal Pradesh with a convincing 21-11, 21-13 victory.
Doubles and Mixed Doubles Highlights
The U-17 boys doubles featured a nail-biting encounter where fourth seeds Shahid Ibrahim Peer Ahamed Buhari and Adhav Surya RJ of Tamil Nadu edged past the pair of Sairaj Nayse from Maharashtra and Luwangamba Lairenmayum from Manipur in a closely contested match, winning 26-24, 22-20. In the U-15 girls singles, Lakshit Bhardwaj edged out Sinila CC of Tamil Nadu 23-21, 21-16, and Padmaja Singh upset Sanavi Ghate of Maharashtra 21-15, 21-16.
Ritika Jhamnani of Rajasthan continued the winning momentum in the U-17 girls singles, defeating Kanishka Tyagi of Delhi 21-15, 21-10. Meanwhile, in the U-17 boys singles, Anshuman Choudhary of Rajasthan prevailed over Aditya Tushir of Haryana with a score of 21-18, 21-18.
The mixed doubles categories saw further success for Rajasthan players. In the U-15 mixed doubles, Shreyansh Choudhary and Padmaja Singh of Rajasthan dismissed Daksh Goyal and Aaradhya Reddy of Telangana in three games, finishing 15-21, 21-10, 21-12. Fourth seeded Satwik Agarwal and Lakshit Bhardwaj delivered a dominant performance, defeating Achuta Tanmay and Devanshi Mittal of Karnataka 21-6, 21-7. In the U-17 mixed doubles, the Rajasthan pair Kandarp Sharma and Maharashtra pair Sharayu Ranjane accounted for the Uttar Pradesh and Manipur pair Aryan Bhatt and Chanulembi, winning 21-16, 24-22.
Tournament Inauguration Details
According to KK Sharma, secretary of the Rajasthan Badminton Association, the tournament will be officially inaugurated on Tuesday at 11 am. The chief guest for the event will be Dr Neeraj K Pawan, the sports secretary and president of the Rajasthan State Sports Council, adding prestige to this competitive badminton showcase.
The early rounds have set a high standard for competition, with local talent from Rajasthan making a significant impact and promising more exciting matches as the tournament progresses.
