Chengdu: Indian shuttlers made a strong start to their campaign at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships 2025, with several players notching key opening-day victories, including notable wins against Chinese opponents, according to a press release from BAI Media.
In the U-15 boys' singles, SL Dhakshan Sugumaran produced a spirited comeback to defeat China's Lyu Ke Ting 18-21, 21-14, 21-13, while Wazir Singh also came through a tight three-game battle to beat Xia Jun Long 21-18, 18-21, 21-17. Pushkar Sai and Prabhu Dhyani registered straight-game wins over their Thai rivals, advancing smoothly from the Round of 64. In the girls' singles, Anvi Rathore looked dominant as she eased past UAE's Anishka Anu 21-4, 21-9.
India's U-17 contingent also began confidently. The mixed doubles pairs Punith Suresh/Aditi Deepak Raj and Jangjeet Singh Kajla/Jananika Ramesh advanced to the Round of 16, defeating Chinese and Japanese opponents, respectively. In boys' singles, Nischal Chand outplayed Laos' Souphaxay Simmanong 21-8, 21-7, while Hardik Divyansh impressed with a 21-14, 21-14 win over Japan's Issei Matsuhita.
India had won a gold and a bronze in 2024, and one gold, one silver, and one bronze in 2023, with both editions taking place in Chengdu. A 36-member squad is fighting for silverware across two age categories this time around, the BAI Media press release added. (ANI)
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