Can India Secure Two Gold Medals at Badminton Asia U15, U17 Championships?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- India is assured of at least two gold medals in badminton.
- Diksha Sudhakar and Lakshya Rajesh will compete in the U17 finals.
- Shaina Manimuthu advances to the U15 final.
- The Indian contingent has secured five medals overall.
- Mixed doubles hopes were dashed in the semifinals.
Chengdu (China), Oct 25 (NationPress) India is guaranteed a gold medal in the girls' U17 division of the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Championships as sixth-seeded Diksha Sudhakar and eighth-seeded Lakshya Rajesh both claimed victories in their semifinals without dropping a game this Saturday.
With top seed Shaina Manimuthu also advancing to the girls' U15 final, India is poised to secure two gold medals. The Indian team had already confirmed five medals prior to the semifinals on Saturday.
In the last-four round of the girls' U17 category, Diksha triumphed over Yun Chiao Su from Chinese Taipei with a score of 21-8, 21-17 in just 27 minutes. Following her, Lakshya joined her in the final after defeating Ria Haga of Japan 21-15, 21-19.
While both girls had smooth semifinal matches, Shaina faced a tough challenge against China’s Yun Jie Yi, requiring nearly an hour to secure her win with scores of 21-12, 16-21, 21-16. She is set to compete against Japan’s Chiharu Tomita in the girls' U15 final.
Unfortunately, India's hopes for a final spot in the U17 mixed doubles and U17 boys' doubles events were dashed.
In the mixed doubles semifinals, Jangjeet Singh Kajla and Jananika Ramesh lost to I. An Chang and Yo Han Wang from Chinese Taipei with scores of 17-21, 21-18, 21-16.
Meanwhile, Jagsher Singh Khangurra was defeated in the boys' singles semifinal by China’s Hong Tian Yue, with scores of 21-11, 21-16.
On Friday, Lakshya Rajesh made headlines by overcoming top seed Lalita Sattayathadakoon from Thailand in a thrilling quarterfinal match, scoring 11-21, 21-16, 21-19. This victory capped an impressive day for the Indian team.
Sixth-seeded Diksha Sudhakar also showcased her skills by defeating Indonesia’s Raisya Affatunisa 21-17, 21-8. In the boys’ singles, Jagsher Singh Khangurra continued his strong performance with a straight-sets victory over Zhan Shing Yui from Hong Kong, winning 21-13, 21-14.
Jangjeet Singh Kajla and Jananika Ramesh advanced to the U17 mixed doubles semifinals after their Chinese opponents retired, while top-seeded Shaina Manimuthu comfortably progressed to the U15 girls’ singles semifinals with a 21-14, 21-16 win against Yubuki Azumaya.