Guwahati, Oct 16 (NationPress) Gnana Dattu made waves alongside the mixed doubles pair of Bhavya Chhabra and Vishakha Toppo, as they triumphed over significantly higher-ranked adversaries. Meanwhile, the girls’ singles team featuring Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda, along with the boys’ doubles duo of Bhargav Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu, delivered impressive performances to secure their spots in the quarterfinals of the BWF World Junior Championships 2025 at the National Centre of Excellence on Thursday.

In his debut at the world juniors, Gnana Dattu outperformed 8th seed Garret Tan from the USA with scores of 15-12, 15-13 in boys’ singles. The duo of Bhavya and Vishakha staged a comeback after losing the first game, defeating the third-seeded French pair of Thibault Gardon and Agathe Cuevas with scores of 12-15, 15-11, 15-12 to advance to the quarterfinals.

In boys’ doubles, sixth seeds Bhargav and Viswa displayed resilience after dropping the first game, overcoming Yi Hsuan Chen and Chun-Yen Chu from Chinese Taipei with scores of 13-15, 15-9, 15-13 over 42 minutes, setting up a quarterfinal encounter against Asian Junior champions Chen Jun Ting and Liu Jun Rong.

Top seed Tanvi dominated her match against China’s Sun Li Yuan, winning 15-8, 15-5, while eighth seed Unnati came back from a shaky start to defeat Carine Tee from Malaysia 15-10, 15-7. In the quarterfinals, Tanvi will meet Japan’s Saki Matsumoto, while Unnati is set to face second seed Anyapat Phichitpreechasak from Thailand.

While Tanvi and Unnati delivered as expected, Gnana Dattu and the pairing of Bhavya and Vishakha exceeded expectations, inching closer to a potential medal.

Against a seasoned opponent, Gnana Dattu displayed remarkable racquet skills, executing late flicks and flat pushes under pressure to best Tan.

Throughout both games, Dattu and Tan focused on minimizing errors in the early exchanges, but it was the Indian player who took the lead from 8-8. Understanding the game conditions and his opponent's strategy, the 17-year-old crafted opportunities with delightful slow drops and sharp dribbles to gain a significant advantage and maintained composure to secure the match.

In the second game, although Tan saved three match points from 10-14 down, Dattu kept his nerve on the fourth point to clinch his place in the quarterfinals.

“Despite his greater experience from previous senior tournaments, I believed in my ability to win if I played my best. I’m thrilled to have achieved that today,” said Gnana Dattu, participating in his first World Junior Championships.

He will now face Asian Junior Championships silver medallist Liu Yang Ming Yu, who defeated Chen Yu Cheng from Chinese Taipei 15-6, 8-15, 15-10.

On another court, Bhavya and Toppo flawlessly executed their game plan from the more advantageous side, overcoming the third-seeded French pair. After losing the first game, the Indian duo surged back in the second, adopting a more aggressive strategy. The deciding game became a test of nerves as the French team switched ends at 8-6, appearing comfortable at 11-8. At this point, the Indians adjusted their tactics to prevent their opponents from attacking, allowing Bhavya to find winning shots as the Indian duo claimed six consecutive points to turn the match around.

“While trailing at 8-11, our coach advised us to be more aggressive and play softer at the net to enhance our attacking chances. We simply followed the coach’s guidance, which made attacking from this side easier,” said Bhavya after the match. Bhavya and Vishakha will now take on Hung Bing Fu and Chou Yun An from Chinese Taipei, who defeated Kim Tae Hyun and Moon In Seo from Korea 15-9, 15-11 in the other pre-quarterfinals.