India's Young Shuttlers Shine Bright at Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Championships

India's young badminton talents have made a significant impact at the Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Championships, with the spotlight firmly on the nation’s girls. On Day 2, top seed Shaina Manimuthu and sixth seed Diksha Sudhakar stormed into the quarterfinals in the girls' singles categories, registering authoritative victories in Chengdu. Manimuthu, displaying commendable skill, defeated China's Li Man Lin 21-17, 21-16, maintaining control throughout the match. Meanwhile, Sudhakar showcased her composure by outclassing Chinese Taipei's Pin Hsuan Chiang 21-19, 21-15 to secure her spot in the last-eight, as reported by the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

Adding to the series of remarkable achievements, Lakshya Rajesh advanced in the girls' singles U-17 category with a solid 21-16, 21-11 victory over Korea's Lee Yun Seo. The U-17 girls' doubles team, Aditi Deepak Raj and Ponnamma BV Vriddhi, exhibited resilience, edging out Korea's Lee Yun Seo and Park Yoo Jeong in a thrilling 17-21, 21-15, 21-17 encounter. In boys' doubles, Charan Ram Thippana and Hari Krishna Veeramreddy delivered a clinical performance with a 21-14, 21-8 win against Japan's Kosuke Shinohara and Hiroto Nakatsuka. Furthermore, Jagsher Singh Khangurra smoothly overcame Malaysia's Winson Choh 21-12, 21-17 in singles.

In a tightly contested U-15 boys' singles match, Wazir Singh narrowly missed a quarterfinal berth, succumbing 19-21, 22-20, 22-24 to Indonesia’s seventh seed, Revan Adrilleo Saputra. The tournament reflects India’s growing prowess in badminton, following their successes in previous editions in Chengdu, where the nation secured multiple medals, including a gold and a bronze in 2024 and a gold, silver, and bronze in 2023. (ANI)