Sudhanshu wins U-15 state badminton title; Arya-Livia lose in final

NAGPUR: The giant-killing run of Sudhanshu Bhure continued as the talented city shuttler clinched the U-15 boys singles title in the first Maharashtra Sub-Junior State Selection Badminton tournament which concluded at the Kalidas Stadium, Mulund, Mumbai, on Sunday. The six-day tourney was organized jointly by Jayesh Dhuri Badminton Foundation and Brihanmumbai Krida and Lalitkala Pratishthan under the auspices of

MBA. The unseeded Sudhasnhu stunned second seed Rohan Thool in three exciting games to bag the maiden title in this age category. A couple of years ago, Sudhanshu had won the U-13 state crown. The fourteen-year-old city lad staged a remarkable recovery after losing the first game to shatter the hopes of his Thane opponent. The match lasted for nearly an hour. A student of Centre Point School, Katol Road, Sudhanshu did not start well in the final and lost the opening game at 16. He was even down match point in the second game but bounced back gallantly to win the extended second game at 22-20. After leveling the match 1-1, Sudhanshu dominated the third and deciding game to wrap up the match with sterling performance.

However, Sudhanshu could not win the double crown as he and his partner from Pune, Parth Ghube, went down fighting in the U-15 boys doubles final.

The city pair of Arya Anchalwar and Livia Fernandez could not live up to the occasion and lost the U-15 girls doubles summit clash against Janhavi Jagtap (Mumbai Suburban) and Tanishka Deshpande (Pune).

Sudhanshu is part of Badminton Life club and trains under Ajay Dayal. Arya is coached by Chetak Khedikar, while Robin Simon and Dayal guide Livia.

RESULTS (Finals)

U-15 boys singles: Sudhanshu Bhure (NGP) bt 2-Rohan Thool (THANE) 16-21, 22-20, 21-9.

U-15 boys doubles: 1-Rahul Kane-Rohan Thool (THANE) bt Sudhanshu Bhure (NGP)-Parth Ghube (PUNE) 21-18, 21-16.

U-15 girls doubles: Janhavi Jagtap (MS)-Tanishka Deshpande (PUNE) bt Arya Anchalwar-Livia Fernandez 21-12, 21-6.

(Semifinals): U-13 girls singles: 1-Hrissha Dubey (GMBA) bt 4-Aditi Sadhankar (NGP) 21-16, 21-10.

U-15 girls singles: 6-Aarya Deshpande (SAT) bt Arya Anchalwar (NGP) 21-18, 21-13.