Indian boys advance to Asian Youth TT Semifinals

India’s under-19 boys reached the semifinals of the Asian Youth TT Championships with a 3-0 win over DPR Korea, while the girls’ team exited after a tough loss to Chinese Taipei

Hyderabad: India’s under-19 boys stormed into the semifinals of the 29th Asian Youth Championships 2025, defeating DPR Korea 3-0 in Tashkent on Friday.

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.

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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 stage.

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.