Sushil Nayak and Yash Kunkolienker
PANAJI
Aryaman Saraf and Rudra Phadte, along with Sushil Nayak and Yash Kunkalienkar, progressed to the Men’s Doubles quarterfinals of the Anil Paiginkar Memorial State Badminton Ranking Tournament for Seniors and Veterans, being held at the Badminton Hall, Ponda.
In the Men’s Doubles Round of 16, Aryaman - Rudra edged past Arjun Bhagat and Parth Joshi in a hard-fought three-game encounter 12-15, 15-11, 15-10. Sushil-Yash dominated their match against Jatinder Singh and Parteek Mahajan, winning 15-4, 15-8.
Other pairs to make the quarters include Floyd Araujo–Fredrick Fernandes, Mayank Raj–Shaheen C.K., Arjun–Tejan Fallary, Arjun Rehani–Ayaan Shaikh (5), Manish Pankhaniya–Sanath Kamat, and Dattaprasad Parab–Parag Chauhan. The event is organized by Ponda Shuttlers in aegis with the Goa Badminton Association and features some of Goa’s top senior and veteran players in action.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Singles quarterfinals, top seed Sufiya Shaikh bounced back from a first-game loss to defeat Janhavi Virnodkar 17-21, 21-2, 21-7. Second seed Shreya Mehta battled past Anjana Kumari 21-12, 18-21, 21-9, while Ritika Chelluri stunned fourth seed Riya Haldankar 21-9, 21-14. Fifth seed Janhavi Mahale also advanced with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Aarohi Coutoncar.
