Aakarshi Kashyap, Priyanshu Rajawat, Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila come out on top in BAI selection trials

Aakarshi Kashyap beat Ashmita Chaliha, Unnati Hooda and Aditi Bhatt to emerge as best in the women's singles in New Delhi. (Pic credit: BAI)
Aakarshi Kashyap beat Ashmita Chaliha, Unnati Hooda and Aditi Bhatt to emerge as best in the women's singles in New Delhi. (Pic credit: BAI)

Aakarshi Kashyap once again proved to be a real domestic giant with a dominating performance in the national badminton selection trials.

India No. 1 Aakarshi won all her matches in the women’s singles category, including three in the final league phase, to decide position one to four in the competition.

The six-day national selection trials, organized by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), concluded at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The trials were conducted to pick the teams for the upcoming Thomas & Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. A total of 120 players participated in five categories.

BAI will also select a core group of 60 probable players for the 2024 Paris Olympics through direct selection and trials.

Aakarshi Kashyap in "Seventh Heaven" with a dream showing

Twenty-year-old Aakarshi won seven matches on the trot in the six-day trials to stamp her authority in style. Aakarshi lost only three games during the trials.

Aakarshi lost a game against promising teenager Tanya Hemanth during her hard-fought 21-18, 12-21, 21-14 (69 minutes) in the Stage 2 A phase.

World No. 52 Aakarshi was stretched to three games in the third and final stages of the trials by Ashmita Chaliha and teen sensation Unnati Hooda. Former multi-time sub-junior and junior national champion Aakarshi defeated Ashmita Chaliha, Unnati Hooda and Aditi Bhatt to reign supreme.

The Chhattisgarh shuttler is likely to spearhead the Indian challenge in the prestigious forthcoming event along with double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu.

Priyanshu Rajawat pips Kiran George to top men’s singles category

Priyanshu Rajawat pipped Kiran George to emerge as the best men’s singles player in the trials. Madhya Pradesh’s Priyanshu avenged his Odisha Open men’s singles final defeat against Kiran George to bag the No.1 spot in the league matches to decide the top four positions.

World No. 83 Priyanshu edged past Kiran George 21-15, 18-21, 21-10 in an hour-long battle to prove his class when it really mattered.

Kiran George of Kerala downed Priyanshu in the first Odisha Open BWF World Tour Super 100 tournament in January 2022.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela remain unbeaten in women’s doubles

Like Aakarshi Kashyap in the women’s singles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela also remained unbeaten. In fact, Treesa and Gayatri won all eight of their matches in the selection trials.

In their eighth and final match of the six-day trials, youth prevailed over experience as Treesa and Gayatri trounced world No. 20 Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy.

Treesa and Gayatri took just 28 minutes to get the better of Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa 21-10, 21-7 to sign off in style.

MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila and Sumeeth Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa impress heavily

Young men’s doubles pair MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila finished as the No.1 pair in their category. Similarly, experienced combinations B Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa surprised hot favorites Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto in three tough games to win the mixed doubles category.

Results of position 1-4 matches

Men’s singles

Priyanshu Rajawat bt Kiran George 21-15, 18-21, 21-10 (58 minutes)

Kiran George bt Ravi 21-9, 21-15 (31 minutes)

Priyanshu Rajawat bt Ravi 21-17, 7-21, 21-13 (43 minutes)

Priyanshu Rajawat gets a walkover from Sameer Verma

Women’s singles

Aakarshi Kashyap bt Ashmita Chaliha 21-10, 17-21, 21-15 (60 minutes)

Unnati Hooda bt Aditi Bhatt 21-18, 21-16 (34 minutes)

Aakarshi Kashyap bt Unnati Hooda 21-19, 21-23, 21-11 (66 minutes)

Ashmita Chaliha bt Aditi Bhatt 21-10, 18-21, 21-11 (45 minutes)

Ashmita Chaliha bt Unnati Hooda 21-13, 21-16 (30 minutes)

Aakarshi Kashyap bt Aditi Bhatt 21-15, 21-13 (45 minutes)

Men’s doubles

MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila bt Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy 21-6, 25-23 (35 minutes)

Krishna Prasad G-Vishnuvardhan Goud P bt Ishaan Bhatnagar-K Sai Pratheek 21-17, 21-14 (31 minutes)

MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila gets a walkover from Ishaan Bhatnagar-K Sai Pratheek

Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy bt Ishaan Bhatnagar-K Sai Pratheek 21-12, 17-21, 22-20 (59 minutes)

MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila bt G Krishna Prasad-P Vishnuvardhan Goud 21-13, 21-14 (38 minutes)

Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy - G Krishna Prasad-P Vishnuvardhan Goud

Women’s doubles

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela bt Tanisha Crasto-Shruti Mishra 21-16, 21-23, 21-11 (63 minutes)

N Sikki Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa bt Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker 21-16, 21-8 (29 minutes)

Tanisha Crasto-Shruti Mishra bt Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker 21-16, 21-12 (32 minutes)

N Sikki Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa bt Tanisha Crasto-Shruti Mishra 21-10, 21-17 (35 minutes)

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela bt Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker 21-11, 21-13 (29 minutes)

Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Pullela bt N Sikki Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa 21-10, 21-7 (28 minutes)

Mixed doubles

B Sumeeth Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa bt Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto 11-21, 22-20, 21-18 (53 minutes)

Pratik Ranade-Akshaya Warang bt K Sai Pratheek-N Sikki Reddy 15-21, 22-20 (Retired) (29 minutes)

Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto bt Pratik Ranade-Akshaya Warang 21-15, 21-12 (30 minutes)

B Sumeeth Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa bt K Sai Pratheek-N Sikki Reddy 21-10, 21-17 (23 minutes)

Ishaan Bhatnagar-Tanisha Crasto bt K Sai Pratheek-N Sikki Reddy 21-13, 21-18 (30 minutes)

B Sumeeth Reddy-Ashwini Ponnappa bt Pratik Ranade-Akshaya Warang 21-17, 21-4 (21 minutes).

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Edited by Prem Deshpande