PANAJI
The Goa Badminton Association (GBA) is all set to launch its 2025-26 State Ranking calendar with the much-anticipated Sub Junior and Junior Major Ranking Badminton Tournament for the U13 and U19 age groups.
The tournament, boasting a total prize purse of ₹2,24,000, will be held from July 18 at the Indoor Hall, Peddem, Mapusa.
Organised by Mapusa Shuttlers under the aegis of GBA, the tournament promises high-octane action with Goa’s finest young shuttlers vying for top honours. Aniket Shenai is the Organising Secretary for the Tournament while SAG Coach Roy Ataide is the Technical Advisor.
In the Boys Singles U13 category, Michael Mare leads the field as the top seed, followed by Vishwa Parab and Samarth Sakhalkar. The Girls Singles U13 draw will be headlined by top seed Pragya Audi, with Avni Khyalia and Komal Kothari seeded second and third respectively.
In the Boys U19 singles, Arjun Bhagat holds the top spot, with Advait Balakrishnan and Soham Naik completing the top three. Among the Girls U19, Ritika Chelluri is seeded first, followed by Shreya Mehta and Aarohi Coutoncar.
The top-seeded pairs in Boys Doubles U13 are Samarth Sakhalkar/Vishwa Parab and Adharved Balakrishnan/Rian Soares. In Girls Doubles U13, Amaira Dhumatker/Avni Khyalia and Komal Kothari/Pragya Audi take the top two spots.
The Boys U19 Doubles is led by Advait Balakrishnan/Owais Tahasildar and Aswin Mannambalath/Shaheen C K, while in Girls U19 Doubles, Shivanjali Thite/Sufiya Shaikh and Ritika Chelluri/Shreya Mehta are the top two seeds. In the Mixed Doubles U19 draw, Yousuf Shaikh/Sufiya Shaikh and Shaheen C K/Ritika Chelluri are the top two seeded teams.
“Our focus this season is not just on competition, but on talent identification,” said Manoj Patil, President of GBA. “These tournaments help us spot promising youngsters who will be shortlisted for specialised coaching and performance-based incentives under our development programs.” GBA Secretary Praveen Shenoy added, “We’ve doubled the prize money for all State Ranking events this year to mark GBA’s 60th anniversary — a move that will significantly motivate our players and boost competitive standards in Goa.”
