Badminton: Vennala Kalagotla, Tanvi Sharma Shine as India Makes Strong Start at Asia Junior Championships

Solo (Indonesia) – India got off to a promising start at the Badminton Asia Junior Individual Championships 2025, with impressive performances in both singles and doubles matches on Day 1. Leading the charge were Vennala Kalagotla and Tanvi Sharma, who cruised through their opening rounds in the women’s singles category.

Vennala Kalagotla began her campaign with a dominant 21-6, 21-10 win over Alissa Kuleshova in just 15 minutes. She followed it up with a hard-fought 21-18, 21-16 victory against Indonesia’s Auberta Zerlina to secure a spot in the Round of 32.

Second-seeded Tanvi Sharma lived up to expectations, breezing past UAE’s Vaidehi Kalidasan 21-6, 21-6, while Tanvi Reddy Andluri outplayed Cheok Ian Ung 21-9, 21-10 in straight games.

In the men’s singles category, Pranauv Ram Nagalingam defeated Myanmar’s Lal Zuidika 21-15, 21-7, while Ansh Negi registered a solid 21-16, 21-15 win over Ding Han Jin. Hmar Lalthazuala and Rounak Chouhan also advanced with convincing straight-game victories.

India also posted strong results in doubles. The pair of Kalagotla and Reshika Uthayasooriyan beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Vu Ngoc Tran and Pham Thi Truc An 21-16, 21-14. In another women’s doubles match, Gayatri and Mansa Rawat edged out Andrea Hernandez and Mary Untal 21-17, 21-18. In mixed doubles, Vishnu Kode and Keerthy Manchala held their nerve in a tight three-game encounter, winning 22-20, 16-21, 21-19.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Rujula Ramu and the pair of C Lalramsanga and Taarini Suri faced early exits from the prestigious junior tournament.

Earlier in the week, India’s junior team delivered a spirited performance in the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships, narrowly losing 110-104 to former champions Japan in the quarterfinals.

Despite losing the opening match 11-9, India bounced back with strong performances. Boys’ doubles duo Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu leveled the score, followed by a solid win from the girls’ pair Kalagotla and Uthayasooriyan, giving India a 33-26 lead. The momentum continued with Reshika and Bhavya Chhabra extending the margin to 44-35, and Rounak Chouhan further solidifying India’s dominance.

India led for most of the contest, but Japan rallied in the final stretch, winning the last five matches consecutively. Many of those games were closely fought, reflecting the grit and potential of the Indian team.

With inputs from IANS