After scripting history with a first-ever mixed team bronze, India’s young badminton players will now shift focus to the individual events of the BWF World Junior Championships, starting Monday at the National Centre of Excellence.
Riding on Momentum
The 25-member Indian contingent stunned former champions Korea in the team quarterfinals to claim bronze — their best-ever result in the category. With confidence high, the shuttlers will now chase medals in singles and doubles events.
India’s most memorable outing in the World Juniors came in 2008 in Pune when Saina Nehwal won gold and RMV Guru Sai Dutt secured bronze. So far, India has earned 11 individual medals, including four silver, in the tournament’s history.
Girls’ Singles Hopes High
All eyes will be on junior world number one Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda, both serious contenders for the girls’ singles title. Placed in opposite halves, the duo could potentially set up an all-Indian final. Tanvi, an Asian U-19 bronze medallist, has a first-round bye and may face Indonesia’s Thalita Wiryawan in the quarterfinals, while eighth seed Unnati could meet Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak in the last eight.
Boys and Doubles Face Tough Draws
In the boys’ singles, Lalthazuala Hmar may face top seed Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah of Indonesia early, while Rounak Chouhan and Suryaksh Rawat face tricky Chinese opponents.
The boys’ doubles pair of Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu, seeded sixth, open against Slovenia’s Andrej Macek and Andrej Suchy, with a likely last-eight clash against Asian champions Chen Jun Ting and Liu Jun Rong.
India’s girls’ and mixed doubles teams, including Vennala K, Reshika U, and Bhavya Chhabra, also face tough early rounds but remain optimistic of extending their medal run in Guwahati.
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