India’s Kidambi Srikanth and Ashmita Chaliha have secured their spots in the upcoming Asian Games men’s and women’s singles categories after winning the selection trials at the Jwala Gutta Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.
The duo will be joining PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy in the 19-member squad for the continental event. The four-day selection trials saw Srikanth and Chaliha emerge unbeaten in their six matches each, affirming their positions as top contenders for the Asian Games.
In the men’s singles category, Srikanth clinched the top spot in group A with three wins, defeating Siddhanth Gupta and Lakshya Sen in stage 2 of the trials on Sunday. He had earlier defeated national champion Mithun Manjunath in a fiercely fought match on Saturday.
Lakshya secured the second position in the 1-4 ranking, with Srikanth being the only player to defeat him. The Commonwealth Games champion registered four wins in group B to take the lead. Manjunath finished third in the 1-4 ranking in stage 2 with two losses and one win. Lakshya and Manjunath would finish the men’s singles lined-up in the team championship.
In the women’s singles, Anupama Upadhyaya and Chaliha claimed the top 2 positions, later followed by Malvika Bansod in stage 2, whereas Unnati Hooda could not see victory in any of the 3 matches. Chaliha dominated the trials with her unbeaten run, earning her a spot in the Asian Games. Anupama Upadhyaya and Malvika will be the other singles players in the women’s team event.
In mixed doubles, Sai Pratheek K and Tanisha Crasto secured the top position, while Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy took second place in the final standings after a round-robin system.
The team is aiming to excel and bring home medals for the country at the event, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8. With a robust squad consisting of some of the best badminton players in the nation, India is well-positioned to perform well in the upcoming competition.
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