Team Goemkarponn
Ponda: Arnav Saraf, Advait Balakrishnan, and Ritika Chelluri stole the spotlight at the Radiant State Sub Junior (U15 & U17) Badminton Ranking Tournament, each clinching two titles. The tournament, organised by Radiant Sports Club in collaboration with the Goa Badminton Association, was held at the Indoor Stadium in Ponda. Arnav Saraf emerged victorious in the U15 Boys Doubles alongside Sparsh Kolwalkar, defeating Atharv Sadaye and Shaan C K. He then partnered with Niharika Parwar to win the U15 Mixed Doubles against Sparsh Kolwalkar and Aaryaa Metry.
In the U17 category, Advait Balakrishnan showcased excellent form, winning the Boys Doubles title with Owais Tahasildar after a tight match against Devansh Sakpal and Vansh Khedkar. He secured his second crown in the Mixed Doubles event with Ritika Chelluri, outplaying Vansh Khedkar and Sufiya Shaikh. Ritika continued her dominance by claiming the U17 Girls Singles title with a straight-games win over top seed Shivanjali Thite. However, she missed out on a third title in the Girls Doubles final, where she and Dimple Revankar were edged out by Shivanjali and Sufiya in three close games.
In other results, Mohammed Umar impressed in the U15 Boys Singles, defeating Ateendra Gaonkar 21-16, 21-15, while top seed Dimple Revankar survived a strong challenge from Niharika Parwar to win the Girls Singles 21-11, 22-20. The U15 Girls Doubles final saw a thrilling comeback from Avni Khyalia and Palak Ramnathkar, who rallied from a game down to beat Aaryaa Metry and Anaya Kamat in three games.
The U17 Boys Singles final was another highlight, with Aarush Pawaskar staging a remarkable comeback to upset top seed Advait Balakrishnan 16-21, 21-17, 21-14. The tournament featured intense competition and exciting matches across all age groups, highlighting the emerging talent in Goa’s badminton scene.
