PANAJI
Ritika Chelluri delivered a sensational performance at the State Badminton Ranking Tournament for Sub Juniors and Juniors, storming into three finals at the event organised by Mapusa Shuttlers under the aegis of the Goa Badminton Association at the Peddem Sports Complex.
In the Girls U19 singles semifinal, Ritika (pictured) edged past Sufiya Shaikh in a tight contest, winning 21-18, 21-18. She then partnered with Shreya Mehta in the Girls U19 Doubles to script a comeback victory over Aarohi Coutoncar and Minoshka Pereira, 17-21, 21-6, 21-18. Ritika’s dominant run continued in the Mixed Doubles semifinal, where she teamed up with Shaheen C K to defeat Arjun Bhagat and Aarohi 21-8, 21-14.
In the U13 category, Amaira Dhumatker and Avni Khyalia impressed by reaching both the singles and doubles finals. Amaira fought back to upset top seed Pragya Audi in a thrilling three-game battle (21-23, 21-14, 21-11), while Avni dispatched third seed Komal Kothari in straight sets (21-13, 21-13). The duo then combined to defeat Aditi Dhargalkar and Kanika Pai Vernekar 21-9, 21-11 in the Girls U13 Doubles semifinal.
Vishwa Parab also kept his double title hopes alive in the Boys U13 category, cruising past sixth seed Krithik Reddy 21-6, 21-12 in the singles semifinal. Earlier, he and partner Samarth Sakhalkar reached the Boys U13 Doubles final after a tough 20-22, 21-15, 21-11 win over Daksh Kamat and Neil Punjani Bakshi. Pratik Naik Borkar and Varun Sahakari also booked their spot in the final with a 21-15, 21-14 win over Adharved Balakrishnan and Rian Soares.
In the Boys U19 Singles, top seed Arjun Bhagat beat Shaheen C K 21-13, 21-13 to set up a title clash with Advait Balakrishnan, who overcame fifth seed Vansh Khedkar in a hard-fought 21-17, 14-21, 21-18 semifinal. Advait later teamed up with Owais Tahasildar to enter the Boys U19 Doubles final, defeating Karthikeyan N and Shaurya Naik 24-22, 21-12. In the same category, Shaheen C K and Aswin Mannambalath booked the other final spot by beating Soham Naik and Yousuf Shaikh 21-18, 21-9.
In Girls U19 Doubles, Saanvi Audi and Synnovia Dsouza powered past Shivanjali Thite and Sufiya Shaikh 23-21, 21-11, promising a thrilling final showdown.
