Asian Junior Championships: Aakarshi Kashyap shocked, Varun Kapur enters quarter-finals

India’s title hopes received a serious blow after the U-17 and U-19 national champion Aakarshi Kashyap crashed out of the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar on Thursday. Kashyap was the second seed in the women’s singles U-17 section and was a major title contender.

But the 16-year-old failed to live up to the expectations as she succumbed to an 18-21, 16-21 defeat at the hands of Japan’s Riko Gunji in the third round.

Kashyap is the junior World No. 9 and won a singles bronze in the U-17 section of this tournament last year.

Even at the Asia Junior Championships (individual event) in July, she made it to the quarter-finals which had given rise to hopes of an impressive finish from the Chattisgarh girl.

Malvika Bansod too bowed out in the same round after a 17-21, 19-21 loss to the third seeded Chinese Taipei shuttler Hung En-Tzu.

There was further disappointment for the contingent in the men’s U-17 draw. Maisnam Meiraba and Aakash Yadav too departed the tournament.

Meiraba, who is one of India’s most promising shuttlers, squandered a one-game lead to fall 21-18, 13-21, 11-21 to the third seed Ko Shing Hei of Hong Kong. Yadav lost 20-22, 17-21 to Japan’s Keishuke Yamashita.

With the twin defeats in men’s and women’s singles U-17, India has no representatives left in both the sections.

Also read: Asian Junior Championships: Winning start for Maisnam Meiraba, Gayatri Gopichand suffers double defeat

Indian shuttlers perform better in U-15

India fared much better in the U-15 category. The men’s singles second seed Varun Kapur made a seamless progress into the quarter-finals, courtesy of a 21-13, 21-12 win over Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul.

Joining him in the last-eight are India’s Ayush Raj Gupta and Jayant Rana. The latter dazzled in a 21-15, 17-21, 21-12 upset win over the eighth seed Anson Cheong. Gupta carved out a 21-17, 17-21, 21-11 victory over Malaysia’s Zhen Yi Ong.

Aashi Rawat stuns the second seed

In women’s singles U-15, Aashi Rawat claimed the biggest win of the day among all Indians as she showed the door to the second seed Krittaporn Jiantanet of Thailand with a 21-13, 21-13 win in the second round.

Rawat backed it up with a comeback 14-21, 21-14, 21-16 win over Indonesia’s Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo for a place in the quarter-finals.

The third seeded Samiya Imad Farooqui too made it to the last-eight. She comfortably beat Taipei’s Lin Tzu-Yun, 21-10, 21-16.