Divyanshi stuns China’s Qihi to win Asian Youth title

Divyanshi Bhowmick defeated China’s Zhu Qihi to win the under-15 singles title at the Asian Youth Championships, earning a spot at the World Youth Championships and leading India’s medal tally

Hyderabad: 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.

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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.

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 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 under-19 boys’ doubles, missing out on a medal opportunity.