New Delhi, July 1: Second seed Divyanshi Bhowmick scripted a memorable triumph, defeating China’s Zhu Qihi 4-2 to clinch the gold medal in the Under-15 Girls’ Singles at the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2024, held at Tashkent’s Humo Arena.

With this stunning win—her second against a Chinese opponent in the knockout stage—Divyanshi not only crowned herself Asian champion but also secured a direct berth for the World Youth Championships in Romania in November. Her gold medal capped India’s impressive campaign at the Championships, which ended with a haul of one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

After edging past Liu Ziling in a hard-fought seven-game semifinal, a confident Divyanshi started strong against Qihi, taking the first game on her third game point. She maintained her momentum to go up 2-1, though Qihi bounced back to level. Undeterred, the Indian upped her serve and tactical variation to reclaim the lead at 3-1.

The Chinese paddler fought back in the fifth, snatching it 11-9 despite Divyanshi drawing level at 9-all. But in the sixth game, the Mumbai girl surged ahead 6-2, only to see Qihi close the gap to 8-8. Holding her nerve, Divyanshi cleverly varied the pace on serve and return to seal the match 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8.

In an inspiring semifinal performance, Divyanshi overcame China’s Ziling Liu 4-3 to book her place in the final. After losing a tightly contested opening game and facing stiff resistance in the second, Divyanshi found her rhythm to take a 2-1 lead, before conceding the next to let her opponent level. Again, Divyanshi went 3-2 up, but Liu wasn’t one to surrender easily. She fought back in the sixth to level the match 3-3, eventually pushing it to a decider. In a tense final game, Divyanshi held her nerve to seal the win with a gritty 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 victory.

Earlier in the day, the top-seeded pair of Ankur Bhattacharyya and P.B. Abhinand suffered a surprise defeat to the unseeded Malaysian duo of Yap Rui Zhe and Lam Ee Sim in the U-19 Boys Doubles, missing out on a medal opportunity.

Despite taking a 2-1 lead, the Indian duo couldn't maintain their composure. The match saw two yellow cards issued to Ankur, whose visible frustration and lack of composure may have affected the pair’s game. Capitalising on the momentum shift, the Malaysians staged a strong comeback to take the last two games and the match, winning 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 8-11.

Ankur-Taneesha mixed pair settles for bronze

New Delhi, June 30: Second seeds Ankur Bhattacharjee and Taneesha Kotecha had to settle for a bronze medal after being edged out in a gritty Under-19 Mixed Doubles semifinal by South Korea’s Kim Gaon and Park Gahyeon at the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2025, held at Tashkent’s Humo Arena on Monday.

The Indian pair fought valiantly but went down 2-3 in a tightly contested match, with the Koreans prevailing 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-3. After trailing 1-2, Ankur and Taneesha staged a spirited comeback to force a decider. They played superbly in the fourth game but faltered in the fifth, allowing their opponents to take control. Missed opportunities and untimely unforced errors cost the Indians dearly in what was otherwise a well-fought encounter.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Divyanshi Bhowmick assured herself of at least a bronze medal after advancing to the semifinals of the Under-15 Girls’ singles. She put up a strong performance to beat China’s Huize Yang 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 11-7). After dropping the second game, Divyanshi rebounded strongly, dominating the remainder of the match. She will face another Chinese opponent, Ziling Liu, in the semifinals tomorrow.

In an earlier round, the Indian pair of Priyanuj Bhattacharyya and Syndrela Das exited in the U-19 Mixed Doubles pre-quarterfinals, losing in straight games to North Korea’s Jon Ju Phyong and Jo Hong Rim. Despite challenging their opponents closely, the Indians went down 9-11, 6-11, 9-11.

In singles action, Ankolika Chakraborty fell short in a gruelling U-15 Girls’ quarterfinal, losing to South Korea’s Heo Yerim 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 12-14 in a see-saw battle that went the distance. Naisa Reewaskar, meanwhile, bowed out in the first round after a straight-game defeat to Hong Kong’s Yeung Yee Lam (5-11, 4-11, 6-11).

U-15 boys bag silver, but U-19 team settles for bronze

New Delhi, June 28:  India’s Under-15 and Under-19 Boys bagged silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the team events at the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2025, held at Tashkent’s Humo Arena.

The Under-15 Boys produced a spirited performance, stunning second-seeded South Korea 3-1 in the semifinals during the morning session. However, they fell short in the final, going down 0-3 to third-seeded China in the evening.

Despite the loss, Sahil Rawat gave Yu Haiyang a brief scare in the opening match. After losing the first game, Sahil fought back to level the tie and pushed it to a decider before eventually losing 2-11,11-8, 2-11, 12-10, 4-11.

In the subsequent matches, Ritvik Gupta went down fighting 12-14, 8-11, 5-11 to Zhou Guanhong, while Wang Ziyang secured China’s gold with a 11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 11-9 win against Aditya Das.

Earlier in the semifinals, Sahil had lost to Lee Seungsoo 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, giving Korea an early advantage. Ritvik then kept India in the contest with a gritty 8-11, 10-12, 15-13, 11-6, 11-6 win over Lee Hyeonho. Inspired by the comeback, Aditya edged out Kim Ryeowon 11-6, 13-15, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8 in a razor-sharp encounter. Ritvik sealed the famous upset by defeating Lee Seungsoo again 10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4 in his second marathon match.

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, the Under-19 Boys settled for bronze after a narrow 2-3 loss to South Korea in the semifinals. Ankur Bhattacharjee was the standout performer, winning both his singles matches. He opened with a come-from-behind 6-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 victory over Kwon Hyuk and later overcame Kim Gaon 12-14, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5. However, teammates P.B. Abhinand and Priyanuj Bhattacharyya couldn’t match the Korean challenge. Abhinand lost to Kim 11-13, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, while Priyanuj fell 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 3-11 to Choi Jiwook.

In the Under-15 Girls’ event, India bowed out in the quarterfinals following a 1-3 defeat to Japan. Ananya Muralidharan lost to Cocona Muramatsu 3-11, 6-11, 8-11, but Divyanshi Bhowmick kept India’s hopes alive with a hard-fought 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 12-10 win over Kokomi Ishida. Ankolika Chakraborty, however, lost a five-game battle to hand Japan a 2-1 lead. Cocona then returned to edge out Divyanshi in a thrilling decider 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10 to seal the tie for Japan.

Boys move into U-19 semis, but the girls bow out

New Delhi, June 27: India’s Under-19 Boys stormed into the semifinals of the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2025, defeating DPR Korea 3-0 in Tashkent today. However, it was a bittersweet outing for the Girls’ team, whose campaign ended in the quarterfinals with a 0-3 loss to a dominant Chinese Taipei side.

P.B. Abhinand set the tone for the Boys with a solid 3-1 (11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7) win over Phyong Ju Jong. Ankur Bhattacharjee then doubled India’s lead after surviving a tense third game to edge past Gwon Tae Rim 11-9, 11-9, 17-15. In the deciding tie, Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, despite trailing 1-2, held his nerve to defeat Gang Ju So 8-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 and seal India’s place in the semifinals.

Abhinand, known for slow starts, was sharp early today, racing to a 2-0 lead before briefly faltering in the third game. Regaining composure, he wrapped up the match clinically. Ankur appeared in control at 2-0, but Rim fought back hard in the third. With the game tied at 10-10 and the pressure mounting, Ankur saved four game points before clinching a marathon, see-saw battle. Priyanuj, too, had to rally from 1-2 down, showing grit and consistency to turn the tide in the final two games.

India will now face South Korea in the semifinals. They edged out Singapore 3-2 in the last eight stages.

Meanwhile, in the Girls’ quarterfinals, Chinese Taipei underlined their supremacy, conceding just three games en route to a 3-0 win. Tanesha Kotecha briefly challenged Chen Min-Hsin, taking a game before going down 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 8-11. Suhana was outclassed by Yeh Yi-Tian in straight games (6-11, 6-11, 6-11). Syndrela Das mounted a spirited fight, stretching Cheng Pusyuan to five games before narrowly losing 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 10-12, 8-11.

Later tonight, the Under-15 Boys and Girls teams will contest their respective quarterfinals.

Indian U-19 boys and girls qualify for the main draw

New Delhi, June 26: India’s Under-19 Girls team battled through two intense group-stage matches against North Korea and hosts Uzbekistan, ultimately topping Group 4 and securing a place in the second-stage knockouts at the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2025 in Tashkent today. The girls edged out both teams with identical 3-2 victories in tightly contested encounters.

In contrast, the Under-19 Boys enjoyed a smoother path in Group 1, recording commanding 3-0 wins over Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

Suhana opened against North Korea’s Gyong Young Kye but stumbled early, losing the first two games before mounting a comeback to win 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7. Syndrela Das then fell to Rim Hong Jo in a close battle (11-4, 9-11, 11-13, 11-13), levelling the tie. Taneesha Kotechan restored India’s lead by defeating Ung Rye Pang 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10. However, Rim struck again for North Korea, overcoming Suhana 7-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-6, leaving the outcome in Syndrela’s hands. Rising to the occasion, the Kolkata girl clinched the decider in under 20 minutes, dispatching Gyong 11-6, 11-3, 11-4.

Facing hosts Uzbekistan next, India fell behind as Taneesha lost to Asel Erkebaeva 11-7, 12-14, 6-11, 5-11. Suhana (11-6, 11-2, 11-4) and M. Hansini (11-5, 11-8, 11-3) brought India back into contention with clinical wins over Sogdiana Ibodullaeva and Shoira Kodirova. Asel levelled the tie once again with a hard-fought 3-2 triumph over Suhana (7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7). With the match finely poised, Taneesha delivered a decisive performance, defeating Sogdiana 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 to seal the tie and the top spot in the group.

The Under-19 Boys, comprising P.B. Abhinand, Ankur Bhattacharjee, and Priyanuj Bhattacharyya, made short work of their opponents. They comfortably defeated Saudi Arabia’s Ali Alther, Moaid Arif, and Abdullah Alhenaki, followed by a similar clean sweep against Nepal’s Himal Bista, Prabesh Basnet, and Gananjaya Dahal. Abhinand, though briefly tested by Ali in the third game and Himal in his second match, saw off both challenges as the team cruised through.

In the Under-15 Boys' category, India posted dominant 3-0 and 3-1 victories over Macau and Thailand, respectively, and will face Kazakhstan tomorrow, where a win would put them on top of the group. Meanwhile, the Under-15 Girls began well with a 3-0 verdict over Saudi Arabia but narrowly lost 2-3 to Singapore. They will meet Kyrgyzstan tomorrow in a crucial tie that could secure their qualification for the main draw.