PEDDEM: Goa’s rising talent Aarush Pawaskar and Mohammed Umar Shaikh opened their campaign with wins in the U-17 and U-15 category respectively to move into the next round of Yonex-Sunrise All-India Sub Junior Badminton Ranking Tournament 2024 organised by the Goa Badminton Association under the auspices of Badminton Association of India in collaboration with the Sports Authority of Goa, at the multipurpose stadium, Peddem, on Friday.
The qualifying matches witnessed a thrilling display of talent as young sub junior badminton enthusiasts battled it out on the court to progress into the next round.
In the U-15 boys singles category, several seeded players showcased their prowess, including Kapil Jagdale, Ramakrishna Sikaram, Arham Shobhawat, Aayush Adey, Kartik Thakur, Ishant Raj, and a Lairenmayum, who all advanced into the qualifying round two.
Goa’s Linesh Virnodkar received a walkover from Maharashtra’s Soham Tambe, while Mohammed Umar Shaikh (Goa) secured a hard-fought victory against Karnataka’s Naman Hasabe with a score of 15-13, 10-15, 16-14.
Local talents displayed their skills with Goa’s Shaan C K putting up a spirited fight against Karnataka’s Laksh Raaghu going down to a 15-9, 15-12 scoreline. Arnav Saraf (Goa) lost 15-3, 15-8 to Linesh Vaibav S from Tamil Nadu, while Viraditya Pai Kane (Goa) lost 15-6, 15-5 to Jasraj Singh from Madhya Pradesh.
In the boys U-17 singles, Goa’s rising talent Aarush Pawaskar delivered an exciting performance, clinching a victory over Nilesh Jayaraj with a score of 15-11, 5-15, 15-13 to secure his spot in the qualifying round two.
Goa Badminton Association President Manoj Patil expressed his gratitude, stating, “It was a privilege to welcome Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of Badminton Association of India, who came to grace the opening day. We had discussions on a number of issues with Sanjay ji on developing the game in Goa and having our own center of excellence, which will be a great boost to players from Goa.” The qualifying rounds will continue till May 13, followed by main draw matches.
