Indian sports wrap, October 23: Lakshya Rajesh, Diksha Sudhakar shine in Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships
BADMINTON
Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships: Lakshya Rajesh, Diksha Sudhakar, and Jagsher Singh Shine on Day 2
India’s young shuttlers continued their impressive run on Day 2 of the Badminton Asia Under-17 & Under-15 Championships 2025, with several standout performances securing Round of 16 berths across categories.
In the U-17 girls’ singles, Lakshya Rajesh and Diksha Sudhakar turned in solid displays to storm into the pre-quarters. Lakshya eased past Chinese Taipei’s Kuan Yi Lin 21-17, 21-11, while Diksha produced a strong comeback to beat China’s Luo Ya Ru 17-21, 21-16, 21-11. Among the boys, Jagsher Singh Khangurra impressed with a commanding 21-14, 21-17 victory over China’s Zhang Yu Feng.
India’s doubles contingent also looked sharp. The girls’ doubles pair Deepak Raj Aditi and P. Vriddhi overcame Malaysia’s Sue Mei Teoh/Zi Qing Wan 22-20, 21-12, while the U-15 mixed duo Hemanth Sri Sammetla and Sharayu Ranjane cruised past fifth seed Singapore pairing Ng Yu Ze/Loo Kit Rei Chara 21-9, 21-11 to move into the Round of 16.
Anvi Rathore, Wazir Singh, and SL Dhakshan Sugumaran continued their winning start to the tournament, joined by the top-seeded girls’ singles player, Shaina Manimuthu, who registered a 21-6, 21-10 victory against Malaysia’s Jing Er Tan.
India had won a gold and a bronze in 2024, and one gold, one silver, and one bronze in 2023, with both editions taking place in Chengdu.
A 36-member squad is fighting for silverware across two age categories this time around.
– Team Sportstar
SQUASH
Sub Junior & Junior National Squash Championships 2025 to begin from Oct. 25
The Sub Junior & Junior National Squash Championships 2025 will take place from October 25 to 31 in Chennai. The event will unite 623 talented young athletes across 10 categories, representing the future of Indian squash.
The tournament kicks off with qualification rounds on 25 October, followed by the main draw from 28 to 31 October.
While these international stars lead the charge, 17-year-old Anahat Singh will skip this year’s Nationals as she competes on the PSA Tour, aiming to improve her world ranking.
Anil Wadhwa, SRFI president, highlighted that the Sub Junior & Junior Nationals remain the premier junior event on the SRFI calendar, providing a platform for India’s young squash talent to test their skills at a national level.
The Championships promise a week of intense competition, showcasing not only the top seeds but also emerging talent from across India.
Top-seeded players in main draw
Boys:BU11: 1. Aryan SK (KA) | 2. Ved Sanganaria (WB) | 3/4. Ayaan Kaushik (AS) | 3/4. Agastya Uppal (DL); BU13: 1. Abhyuday Arora (DL) | 2. Amarya Bajaj (DL) | 3/4. Dhairya Gogia (RJ)| 3/4. Rishabh Shyam (MH); BU15: 1. Shreyansh Jha (MH) | 2. Harshal Rana (HR) | 3/4. Shresht Iyer (KA) | 3/4. Dhruv Bopana (TN); BU17: 1. Subhash Choudhary (RJ) | 2. Purav Rambhia (MH) | 3/4. Darshil Parasrampuria (TN) | 3/4. Lokesh Subramani (TN); BU19: 1. Arihant KS (TN) | 2. Yusha Nafees (DL) | 3/4. Rachit Shah (MH) | 3/4. Aayush Verma (MH)
Girls:GU11: 1. Alia Kankaria (WB) | 2. Akshara Makhija (KA) | 3/4. Aarna Pandey (KA) | 3/4. Sameeksha Sugumar (KA); GU13: 1. Divyanshi Jain (RJ) | 2. Shanaya Parasrampuria (MH) | 3/4. Shanaya Roy (MH) | 3/4. Nandikasree Kalaivanan (TN); GU15: 1. Vasundhara Nangare (MH) | 2. Fabia Nafees (UP) | 3/4. Goushika M (TN) | 3/4. Aadhya Budhia (JH); GU17: 1. Aradhya Porwal (DL) | 2. Sehar Nayar (CH) | 3/4. Diva Shah (MH) | 3/4. Saanvi Kalanki (MP); GU19: 1. Unnati Tripathi (UP) | 2. Navya Sundarajan (DL) | 3/4. Rudra Singh (MH) | 3/4. Yashi Jain (RJ)
– Team Sportstar
Published on Oct 23, 2025