Rajgir, May 6: The opening day of singles matches at the Khelo India Youth Games unfolded with both predictability and a dash of drama as the top-ranked Under-18 boys and girls comfortably logged their first wins at Hall No. 1. While most favourites cruised through their opening group encounters, the day wasn’t without its stories of missed chances, surprise fightbacks, and quiet walkovers.

For the top players, these early victories were more about finding their rhythm than facing real tests. Yet, with two crucial rounds remaining on Day 2 before the knockout phase, there's little room for complacency.

Off the table, the competition saw a couple of unexpected withdrawals. Syndrela Das of West Bengal pulled out before the draw yesterday, and today, Oishik Ghosh of the same state followed suit, handing an easy walkover to wildcard Dhairya Tandel from Daman & Diu—a gift for the youngster but a hollow one, perhaps robbing him of valuable match play. Even more puzzling was the absence of Anushka Chauhan, another wildcard from Daman & Diu, who missed her opportunity entirely without notice, inadvertently gifting Avani Tripathi of Uttar Pradesh a free passage to the next round.

On the girls’ side, the pre-tournament favourites looked sharp. Tamil Nadu’s M. Hansini underlined her credentials with a clinical 3-0 win over Maharashtra’s Sukrati Sharma. Meanwhile, Kavya Bhatt showed early nerves, dropping a game to Sayani Panda before settling into her stride for a 3-1 win. Delhi’s Diya Brahmachary was made to work harder than expected by Bengal’s Dipannita Saha, eventually prevailing 3-1 in one of the day’s better contests. Victories for Divyanshi Bhowmick (Maharashtra), Nandini Reena Balaji (Tamil Nadu), and Vanshika Mudgal (Delhi) rounded out the opening action for the girls.

Among the boys, Tamil Nadu’s P.B. Abhinand, Assam’s Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, and Maharashtra’s Kushal Chopda all made assured starts. But Telangana’s Arush Reddy Middela provided the day's standout moment. Trailing 1-2 against Bengal’s Debraj Bhattacharjee, who had looked poised for an upset after winning the first and third games, Arush dug deep to claw back the fourth game and then edged past Debraj in the decider. It was a missed opportunity for the Bengal paddler but a testament to Arush’s resilience.

As the action moves into Day 2, the stakes rise. With every player knowing only the best progress to the knockouts, the pressure will mount, and for a few, today's missed chances might haunt them.

Results: (All First Round:)

Youth Girls U-18:

Group 1: M. Hansini (TN) bt Sukrati Sharma (Mah) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8; Group 2: Kavya Bhatt (Mah_ bt Sayani Panda (WB) 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10; Avani Tripathi (UP) w/o Anuska Chauhan (DND) 3-0; Group 3: Divyanshi Bhowmik (Mah) bt Nilnanjana Sharma (Bhr) 11-1, 11-1, 11-1; Diya Brahmachary (Del) bt Dipannita Saha (WB) 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4; Group 4: Nandini R. Balaji (TN) bt Hardee Patel (Mah) 11-2, 11-9, 11-7; Vanshika Mudgal (Del) bt Vidushi Dhanai (Ukd) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7.

Youth Boys U-18:

Group 1: P.B. Abhinand (TN) bt Aaron Farias (Goa) 11-4, 11-9, 11-6; Arush Reddy (Telg) bt Debraj Bhattacharjee (WB) 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-2; Group 2: Priyanuj Bhattacharyya (Asm) bt K. Segal Singh (MNP) 11-6, 11-8, 11-4; Naman Bhatnagar (HP) bt Varun Kashyap (Kar) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5; Group 3: Punit Biswas (WB) bt Vishal Garg (Chd) 11-4, 11-8, 12-10; M. R. Balamurugan (TN) bt Vihaan Gawand (Mah) 11-3, 11-8, 11-5; Group 4: Dhairya Tandel (DND) wa/o Oishik Ghosh )WB) 3-0;