Five Indian shuttlers reach semifinals at Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships

India’s junior shuttlers shone at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Championships in Chengdu, with five players—including Lakshya Rajesh and Diksha Sudhakar—reaching the semifinals and guaranteeing medals across singles and mixed doubles events.

HYDERABAD: India’s strong run at the Badminton Asia Under-17 & Under-15 Championships reached new heights on Friday, with five Indian shuttlers securing semifinal berths—and in turn, confirming medals—in Chengdu.

The highlight of the day came from Lakshya Rajesh, who produced a spirited fightback to upset top seed Lalita Sattayathadakoon of Thailand 11-21, 21-16, 21-19 in the U-17 girls’ singles quarterfinals. Her win capped off a superb all-round day for the Indian contingent, who now feature across multiple semifinal categories.

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Joining Lakshya in the last four is sixth seed Diksha Sudhakar, who powered past Indonesia’s Raisya Affatunisa 21-17, 21-8 in another commanding display. In the boys’ singles, Jagsher Singh Khangurra continued his fine form with a straight-game victory over Zhan Shing Yui of Hong Kong China, winning 21-13, 21-14.

India also celebrated progress in doubles, as Jangjeet Singh Kajla and Jananika Ramesh advanced to the U-17 mixed doubles semifinals following the retirement of their Chinese opponents. Earlier, top-seeded Shaina Manimuthu eased into the U-15 girls’ singles semifinals with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Japan’s Yubuki Azumaya.

With five semifinalists across both age groups, India’s young shuttlers have delivered one of their most memorable continental campaigns yet.