The officials during the inaugural function.
PANAJI
Following four days of exhilarating qualifying rounds filled with high-quality action, the Yonex-Sunrise All India Sub Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament 2024 officially commenced its Main Draw matches at the multipurpose stadium in Peddem. Organised by the Goa Badminton Association, the eight-day tournament is being conducted under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India, in collaboration with the Sports Authority of Goa.
The prestigious national ranking tournament was inaugurated with grandeur by Swetika Sachan, IAS, Secretary of Sports, Government of Goa. Dr. Geeta Nagvenkar, Executive Director of The Sports Authority of Goa, Prabhakar Rao, Observer from the Badminton Association of India and other officials graced the inaugural function.
Representing the host state, Goa, in the Main Draw are the following players who secured their positions through the State Quota:
Aarush Sandesh Pawaskar and Sudhanva Udupa (BS U15); Ritika Chelluri and Saanvi Audi (GS U15); Arnav Saraf and Shane D'souza (BD U15); Isha Borkar and Jewel Abranches (GD U15); Sparsh Kolwalkar and Aaryaa Metry (XD U15); Advait Balakrishnan and Soham Naik (BS U17); Ritika Chelluri and Shivanjali Thite (GS U17); Om Nandanwar and Shaurya Naik (BD U17); Sufiya Shaikh and Shivanjali Thite (GD U17); Shaheen Cherkala Kunjutty and Sufiya Shaikh (XD U17)
Among these talented athletes, Aarush Pawaskar demonstrated his prowess by qualifying in the Main Draw through the National Ranking Quota in Boys U15 Doubles. Notably, he is ranked 5th in India, partnering with Yash Sinha from Maharashtra. Additionally, Sanvi Audi and Shane D' Souza exhibited remarkable performances in the qualifying draw, securing their berths in the Main Draw in Mixed Doubles U-15.
In the Boys Singles U15 category Goa's Aarush Pawaskar faced a tough challenge and narrowly lost to Satheesh S. K. Vasudev with a score of 22-20, 21-17 in a closely contested match during the first round of the main draw. Sudhanva Udupa from Goa also encountered a formidable opponent, Arnav Sharma, and lost with a score of 21-3, 21-8 in the first round.
In the Girls Singles U15 category, despite a valiant effort, Ritika Chelluri from Goa faced a tough challenge and lost to Jaya Saptha Sri with a score of 21-12, 13-21, 21-15 in a hard-fought match. Sanvi Audi (Goa) succumbed to a 21-3, 21-11 defeat to Alisha Bhandari.
In the Boys Singles U17 category, unfortunately, Goa's Advait Balakrishnan faced a tough opponent, Shaurya Agarwal, and lost with a score of 21-8, 21-11, while Soham Naik from Goa also faced a strong competitor, Pranav M., and lost with a score of 21-11, 21-14.
Despite their efforts, Ritika Chelluri and Shivanjali Thite from Goa faced tough opponents and lost to Mansita Mohapatra and Aikya Shetty respectively, with scores of 21-14, 21-10 and 21-4, 21-10 in the Girls Singles U-17 category.
