PANAJI
Goa’s seasoned badminton stars put up stellar performances on Day 3 of the 47th Indian Masters National Badminton Championship 2025, with former state champions Sandhya Melasheemi, Leena Pednekar alias Dhapre, making their way into the Round of 16 in their respective categories.
Sandhya Melasheemi (Goa) [1] displayed dominance in the Women’s Singles 40+, securing a 21-11, 21-9 win over Mansi Kohli (Delhi). Leena Dhapre (Goa) cruised past Saji Nair (Chhattisgarh) 21-4, 21-2, while Betty Dourado (Goa) overcame a stiff challenge from Kavitha M. (Tamil Nadu) 21-13, 21-18 to book her spot in the next round. In a thrilling Men’s Singles 45+ Round of 32 match, Govind Navelkar (Goa) showed great resilience to defeat Vijayakanna Degala (RBI) 18-21, 21-6, 21-12, setting up an exciting Round of 16 clash against former India international Abhinn Shyam Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) [1], who breezed past Kamalakannan Venkateshan (Tamil Nadu) 21-4, 21-5.
Among other significant results, Saurav Kapoor (RBI) edged past Nalin Dinesh (Gujarat) [15] in a gripping three-game contest 21-10, 21-23, 21-19 in the Men’s Singles 35+ category. In the Men’s Doubles 50+, Shrikant Bakshi and Navdeep Singh (Delhi/PNB) [2] delivered a strong performance, defeating Yogesh K.B. and Kirankumar Madival (Karnataka) 21-19, 21-9. Another exciting doubles match saw Gurdeep Singh Arora and Manish Bhati (Maharashtra) get the better of Goa’s Mahesh Pauskar and Kishore Raghunath 21-19, 21-15. In the Men’s Singles 40+ Round of 32, Krishna T. (CAG) secured a convincing 21-12, 21-10 victory over Madhu K. (RBI), while top-seed Mayank Behal (PNB) [1] survived a scare against Nigel D’Sa (Maharashtra) before prevailing 21-13, 20-22, 21-19.
Goa’s representation in the Men’s Singles 50+ category saw Dr. Sandeep Fowker (Goa) defeat Rahul Sharma (RBI) [14] 21-8, 21-8, and Sandip Kanji (Goa) outplay Sankaraiah Pogula (Telangana) 21-17, 21-11, both advancing to the Round of 32. In another crucial doubles encounter, former India stars Sunil Gladson and Vijay Lancy Mascarenhas (Karnataka) [1] dominated S. Bodiga and A. Gude (Andhra Pradesh) 21-13, 21-9 to enter the Men’s Doubles 45+ Round of 16. Amrish Shinde and Jaison Xavier (Gujarat/Kerala) also impressed in the Men’s Doubles 50+, securing a 21-19, 21-16 win over Surender Kumar and Virender Kumar (Haryana) to move into the Round of 16.
