Maharashtra State U-19 Badminton Selection Tournament: Sharayu, Mahimkar steal show
Mumbai, May 23
Sharayu Ranjane of Pune and Greater Mumbai's Harshit Mahimkar occupied centre stage at the Willingdon SC, defeating higher-ranked players to advance to the Girls and Boys U-19 quarter-finals of the Maharashtra State U-19 Badminton Selection Tournament, organised by GMBA and hosted by Willingdon SC, a release said.
While unseeded Sharayu played a superior game to oust 5th seed city mate Navya Ranka 15-10, 15-13, Mahimkar kept his nerves in the decider to oust 4th seed Pranay Gadewar of Nagpur 15-8, 9-15, 15-13. Also scoring an upset win was Aaysuh Adey, of Pune, seeded 13, who shunted out city mate eighth seed Nikshep Katre 15-11, 15-12.
Top seed Yutika Chavan of Pune had a fight on her hands against unseeded Pranjal Shinde of Raigad before winning 15-10, 13-15, 15-8 and so did seventh seed Nishika Gokhe of Nagpur, who survived a scare before rallying to defeat Raigad's Gatha Suryawanshi 15-9, 15-10, 15-12.
Meanwhile, the top two seeds among the boys, Arjun Aluguvelli (Mumbai Suburb) and Rutva Sajwan (Nagpur) stayed on course for a crack at the top spot, winning their matches with ease and so did the girls second seed, Ridheema Sarpate of Nagpur.
Results:
Boys Singles U19 - Round of 16
Arjun Aluguvelli (Mumbai Suburb) (1) beat Sudip Khorate (Pune) - 15-9, 15-10; Rutva Sajwan (Nagpur) (2) beat Rujul Wadate (Thane) -15-8, 15-12; Tanay Mehendale (Raigad) (3) beat Prasanna Manna (Sangli) - 15-9, 15-2; Avadhut Kadam (Pune) (5) beat Yash Gaurav Sinha (Thane) (9) - 15-9, 15-9; Harshit Mahimkar (Greater Mumbai) beat Pranay Gadewar (Nagpur) (4) - 15-8, 9-15, 15-13; Aayush Adey (Pune) (13) beat Nikshep Katre (Pune) (8) - 15-11, 15-12; Ojas Joshi (Pune) (6) beat L. Abhigyan Singha (Pune) - 15-8, 15-11; Eashwara Uppu (Raigad) beat Dhruv Nikam (Pune) (7) - 15-13, 15-10;
Girls Singles U19 - Round of 16
Yutika Chavan (Pune) (1) beat Pranjal Shinde (Raigad) - 15-10, 13-15, 15-8; Ridheema Sarpate (Nagpur) (2) beat Sharvari Survase (Pune) - 15-10, 15-13; Nishika Gokhe (Nagpur) (7) beat Gatha Suryawanshi (Raigad) - 15-9, 10-15, 15-12; Ketaki Thite (Mumbai Suburb) beat Dakshayni Patil (Kolhapur) - 15-9, 15-5; Sharayu Ranjane (Pune) beat Navya Ranka (Pune) (5) - 15-10, 15-13; Khyati Katre (Pune) beat Anushka Epte (Raigad) (8) - 15-11, 15-8; Yashwi Patel (Pune) beat Anannya Shinde (Washim) - 15-13, 15-9; Dhun Sanghvi (Buldhana) beat Ira Apte (Pune) - 15-8, 17-15.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Harshit Mahimkar's comeback in the decider was fantastic! Keeping your cool when you're down shows real champion material. Wishing all the young players the best for their future careers. 🇮🇳
These kids are our future Saina Nehwals and P.V. Sindhus! Great to see the depth of talent in Maharashtra. The state association should organise more such tournaments to keep the momentum going. Wish I could watch these matches live!
Nice to see local badminton getting coverage. But I wish the media focused more on grassroots level coaching and academy support rather than just results. Many talented players from smaller towns struggle without proper facilities. Just saying... 🤔
Yutika Chavan survived a tough match! That decider win shows mental strength. But unseeded players like Sharayu Ranjane really impress me - they come with nothing to lose and play fearlessly. The quarter-finals should be exciting! 🏸
Great to see players from Nagpur, Raigad, and Thane also making their mark. Badminton is spreading beyond just Pune and Mumbai now. The real test will be how these kids perform at the national level. Hope they get proper exposure!
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