Goa’s Aarush Pawaskar Sparks Upset at All India Sub-junior Badminton Tournament

June 20, 2025

Mapusa, Goa – In a scene reminiscent of a David vs. Goliath showdown, local favorite Aarush Pawaskar electrified the crowd on the opening day of the Yonex-Sunrise All India Sub-Junior (U-15 & U-17) Ranking Badminton Tournament 2025. The tournament, currently underway at the Multipurpose Stadium, Peddem in Mapusa, witnessed a series of intense matches, but it was Pawaskar’s victory that stole the spotlight.

Pawaskar, competing in the Boys U-17 Singles Round of 64, demonstrated remarkable composure under pressure. In a thrilling three-game match that had spectators on the edge of their seats, he managed to overcome Manku Taku of Andhra Pradesh. The final score read 21-14, 9-21, 21-19, marking a notable triumph for the Goan youngster and making him the only local player to advance on a day where several other Goan athletes faced tough defeats.

The victory was hard-earned, a true test of endurance and mental fortitude. It felt like a heavyweight boxing match, each point a round, and I just had to keep swinging, one spectator commented, drawing parallels to the grit seen in American boxing legends.

While Pawaskar celebrated, other local talents faced setbacks. Advait Balakrishnan fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to yash Soni of Rajasthan with a score of 15-21,10-21. Similarly, in the Girls U-17 Singles, Yashila Ritika Chelluri and Shivanjali Thite encountered formidable opponents in Ketaki Thite (Maharashtra) and Ridhima Saini (Chhattisgarh), respectively, and were unable to secure victories.

The Boys U-15 Doubles category saw Shaan Cherkala Kunjutty and Mohammed Umar Shaikh outplayed by Vihaan Kolhade and Hridaan Padve of Maharashtra in straight games (12-21, 13-21). Sparsh Kolwalkar and Arnav Saraf put up a spirited fight, nearly pulling off an upset, but narrowly lost a high-scoring match 18-21, 21-12, 20-22.

In Mixed Doubles U-15, arnav Saraf, partnering with Niharika Parwar, engaged in a close contest against Edward Adrien and Supreetha Deepak of Karnataka, eventually losing 18-21, 21-19, 16-21. Dimple Revankar and her Telangana partner Tanishka Ganji, after a strong showing in the qualifiers, were defeated by Vijaya Tejashwini Dantuluri (Andhra Pradesh) and Joel Rana (Haryana) with a score of 12-21, 17-21 in Girls Doubles U-15.

Meanwhile, the tournament’s top seeds generally lived up to their billing. In Boys U-15 Singles, top-seeded Pushkar Sai (Karnataka) defeated Avish Mehta (delhi) 21-19, 21-5, while third seed Wazir Singh (Punjab) overcame Yatharth Kirola (uttarakhand) 21-19, 21-12.

Shaina Manimuthu, the top seed in Girls U-15 Singles, cruised past smriti S. 21-8,21-13. Telangana’s third seed Avni Vikram Govind faced a tougher challenge,needing three games to defeat Anvi Patel (Gujarat) 17-21,22-20,21-13.

In the Boys U-17 Singles, top seed Dev Ruparelia (Maharashtra) and third seed akhil Reddy Bobba (Telangana) both advanced comfortably, maintaining their hopes for a title run.

With many local players now out of contention, the spotlight firmly rests on Aarush Pawaskar. The entire state of Goa is expected to rally behind him as he carries the flag in this prestigious national tournament. As the competition intensifies,all eyes will be on Pawaskar’s next match and his potential to make a deep run in the championship.

The pressure is on, but Pawaskar seems ready. I’m just going to play my game, one point at a time. Like Coach Wooden said,’Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,’ and I’ve prepared.