Lucknow: Players from Uttar Pradesh delivered an impressive performance in the Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Memorial All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament, advancing to the third round of the qualifying stage in both men’s singles and doubles categories. Matches were held at the BBD UP Badminton Academy, Vinay Khand Stadium, and Vijayant Khand courts, where UP athletes showcased their skill and determination.
In men’s singles, Bhavya Baghel defeated Maharashtra’s Anush Gandhi convincingly with scores of 15-4, 15-8. Other winners in this category included Shivam Srivastava, Gurpreet Kumar, Divij Singh, Shantanu Sharma, Harshit Tomar, and Ansh Vishal Gupta. Meanwhile, Akash Singh, Husain Ansari, Nipun Tyagi, Bhumesh Utrani, and Vedansh advanced to the second round via walkovers.
In women’s singles, Sneha Singh beat Maharashtra’s Sanvi 15-12, 15-16, while Simran Chaudhary defeated Punjab’s Aspreet Kaur 15-16, 15-10.
In men’s doubles, UP pairs Shivam Srivastava-Pradeep Chaudhary and Shashikant Rathi-Abhay Singh progressed to the third round. Other victorious pairs included Rajat Bhardwaj-Ayaan Khan (Rajasthan/UP), Pradeep-Chaudhary & Shivam Srivastava, Shashikant Rathi & Abhay Singh, Preet Sachdeva & Abhilav, Ankit Kumar & Prateek Srivastava, and Kapil Chaudhary & Piyush Kumar.
With such commanding performances, UP players have strengthened their presence in the tournament and are considered strong contenders as the competition progresses.
