Team Goemkarponn
Ponda: Rising shuttlers lit up the courts at the State Sub Junior (U15 & U17) Badminton Ranking Tournament, organised by Radiant Sports Club under the aegis of the Goa Badminton Association at the Indoor Stadium, Ponda, with several thrilling semifinal clashes deciding the finalists.
In the Boys U15 Singles, Umar Shaikh produced the upset of the tournament, stunning top seed Sparsh Kolwalkar in straight games 21-6, 21-16 with a dominant performance. Joining him in the final is Ateendra Gaonkar from Ponda, who held his nerve in a thrilling three-set encounter to edge past Atharv Sadaye 21-17, 14-21, 23-21.
In the Boys U17 Singles, top seed Advait Balakrishnan advanced with a composed 21-14, 21-12 win over Sudhanva Udupa. He will face Aarush Pawaskar, who outplayed Devansh Sakpal 21-17, 18-21, 21-12 in a tight semifinal battle.
The Girls U15 Singles final will see top seed Dimple Revankar take on Niharika Parwar. Dimple cruised past Anaya Kamat 21-19, 21-7, while Niharika overcame a spirited effort from fourth seed Pragya Audi to win 21-19, 21-23, 21-12 in one of the most intense matches of the day.
In the Girls U17 Singles, a mouthwatering top-seed clash is on the cards, with Shivanjali Thite edging Saanvi Audi 21-19, 21-19 to set up a final with Ritika Chelluri, who got past Sufiya Shaikh 21-10, 21-19.
Doubles action also produced some riveting matchups. In Girls U17 Doubles, Shivanjali paired with Sufiya to ease past Aakanksha Rana and Gauravi Bodekar 21-3, 21-13, while Dimple and Ritika teamed up to beat second seeds Jewel Abranches and Sampurna Patra 21-14, 21-9.
In the Boys U15 Doubles, the final will see Arnav Saraf and Sparsh Kolwalkar face Atharv Sadaye and Shaan Cherkala. In Girls U15 Doubles, Aaryaa Metry–Anaya Kamat will go up against Avni Khyalia–Palak Ramnathkar.
The U15 Mixed Doubles final will feature Arnav Saraf–Niharika Parwar against Sparsh Kolwalkar–Aaryaa Metry, while the Boys U17 Doubles final will be contested between Advait Balakrishnan–Owais Tahasildar and Devansh Sakpal–Vansh Khedkar.
In the Mixed U17 Doubles, Advait and Ritika Chelluri will take on top seeds Vansh Khedkar and Sufiya Shaikh in what promises to be an exciting finale to a tournament that has showcased some of Goa’s brightest young badminton talent.
