World Junior Team Championships: Double delight for Indian shuttlers on Day 2

lakshya sen
Lakshya Sen is leading the Indian challenge at this tournament

Indian shuttlers continue their title hunt with two impressive wins on Day 2 of the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships 2017 in Yogjakarta, Indonesia. The 5/8th seeded Indian team first registered a flawless 5-0 victory over the 17/45th seeded Hungary and then blanked the 17/45th seeded Australia by the same scoreline in their two Group D assignments on Tuesday.

On Monday, the contingent had made a thunderous start to their title aspirations with a 5-0 drubbing of the 17/45th seeded USA.

With three wins, India leads the Group D standings having accumulated six points.

India next has the 9/16th seeded Sweden up next in their final group assignment on Day 3 of this prestigious continental team championships.

In the first match on Tuesday, junior World No. 2 Lakshya Sen took part only in doubles whereas the India Junior International Grand Prix runner-up Rahul Bharadwaj BM was fielded in the men’s singles match.

He recorded an effortless 21-11, 21-13 win over Gergo Pytel. In women’s singles, Ashmita Chaliha staved off a second game challenge from Reka Madarasz for a 21-12, 21-19 win.

The men’s doubles duo of Lakshya Sen and Dhruv Kapila pummelled the Hungarian combine of Mate Balint and Zsombor Dulcz, 21-7, 21-15.

The women’s doubles pair of Mithula UK and Rutaparna Panda needed just 23 minutes to beat Vivien Sandorhazi and Kitti Szotak, 21-10, 21-8.

In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Mithula UK put up a stunning display for a 21-7, 21-8 victory over Zsombor Dulcz and Kitti Szotak.

Also read: World Junior Team Championships: Indian shuttlers drub Team USA in opener

Purva Barve continues to impress

In the India vs Australia contest, India continued with the same confidence and did not concede any game.

Junior World No. 38 Purva Barve took just 17 minutes to thrash Sasha Lim 21-5, 21-7 in women’s singles. Kartikey Gulshan Kumar was equally spectacular in the men’s singles encounter where he emerged a 21-4, 21-9 winner over Kai Chen Teoh.

The men’s doubles pair of Garaga and Kapila beat Marcus Kong and Peter Yan 21-11, 21-15. Rutaparna Panda and Mithula UK were unstoppable and prevailed 21-10, 21-15 over Maggie Chan and Sasha Lim.

Panda also teamed up with Srikrishna Sai Kumar Podile for a 21-12, 21-17 triumph over Victoria He and Ying Xiang Lin in 24 minutes.

Also read: "We can get at least bronze," says Indian junior badminton coach Sanjay Mishra