Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Yonex-Sunrise U-13 National Ranking Badminton Tournament witnessed a dramatic day of quarterfinal action at the Manohar Parrikar Indoor Stadium in Navelim, Goa, with several top seeded players suffering unexpected exits as the competition entered its crucial stage.
One of the biggest shocks came in the boys’ singles category, where Madhya Pradesh’s Ishmeet Arora produced a composed and clinical performance to eliminate top seed Rehaan Dudekula of Andhra Pradesh in straight games, winning 21-17, 21-16. Punjab’s Rabbiguel Anji also looked dominant as he comfortably defeated West Bengal’s Atif Hoque 21-8, 21-12 to book his place in the semifinals.
Delhi’s Arpit Baliyan showcased nerves of steel in a closely fought encounter against Andhra Pradesh’s Harshith Venkata Sai. Baliyan edged both games by identical 21-19 margins to secure a hard earned victory. Another gripping contest saw Uttarakhand’s Sarthak Joshi stage a remarkable comeback after losing the opening game to Manipur’s Devasis Singh Nameirakpam. Joshi bounced back strongly to win 16-21, 25-23, 21-12 and advance further in the tournament.
The girls’ singles quarterfinals were equally intense, highlighted by Maharashtra’s Divisha Singh upsetting top seed Lyosha Korukonda from Telangana in a thrilling straight games contest, 22-20, 21-19. Karnataka’s Shreeya A. Rao also emerged victorious after a fiercely contested battle against Andhra Pradesh’s Keya Kosaraju, winning 26-24, 23-21.
Karnataka’s Stuthi S. Shetty continued her strong run with a convincing 21-11, 21-15 win over Maharashtra’s Hazel Joshi, while Telangana’s Shanvi Reddy Nimma dominated Sri Adhya Reddy Kaduluri of Andhra Pradesh 21-9, 21-3.
The doubles events also confirmed their semifinal lineups, with leading pairs from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Telangana progressing to the next stage, setting up an exciting finish to the national championship in Goa.
