Young Indian shuttlers shine against China in Asia U-17 and U-15 championships

Chengdu, Oct 22 (PTI) Indian shuttlers made a strong start to their campaign at the Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Championships 2025, with several players securing key opening day wins against their Chinese opponents here.

In the U-15 boys' singles, SL Dhakshan Sugumaran staged a spirited comeback to defeat China's Lyu Ke Ting 18-21 21-14 21-13,, while Wazir Singh also prevailed in a tight three-game clash against Xia Jun Long 21-18 18-21 21-17 on Tuesday.

Pushkar Sai and Prabhu Dhyani advanced smoothly from the round of 64 with straight-game wins over their Thai rivals.

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.

Mixed doubles pairs of Punith Suresh/Aditi Deepak Raj and Jangjeet Singh Kajla/Jananika Ramesh progressed to the round of 16, defeating their 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 previously won a gold and a bronze in 2024, and one gold, one silver, and one bronze in 2023, with both editions held in Chengdu.

A 36-member squad is contesting for silverware across the two age categories this year. PTI TAP SSC SSC