Guwahati
Gnana Dattu TT and mixed doubles combination of Bhavya Chhabra and Vishakha Toppo upset their much higher-ranked opponents while girls’ singles duo of Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda sailed through their respective matches to reach the quarterfinals of the BWF World Junior Championships 2025 at the National Centre of Excellence here on Thursday.
Gnana Dattu, playing in his first world juniors, defeated 8th seed Garret Tan of USA 15-12, 15-13 in boys’ singles, while Bhavya and Vishakha fought back after losing the opening game to beat third seeded French combination of Thibault Gardon and Agathe Cuevas 12-15, 15-11, 15-12 to reach the quarterfinals.
Girls’ singles top seed Tanvi dominated China’s Sun Li Yuan for a 15-8, 15-5 win while eighth seed Unnati recovered from a bad start to beat Carine Tee of Malaysia 15-10, 15-7. In the quarterfinals, Tanvi will face Japan’s Saki Matsumoto while Unnati will take on second seed Anyapat Phichitpreechasak of Thailand. While Tanvi and Unnati lived up to the expectations, Gnana Dattu and the pairing of Bhavya and Vishakha punched above their weight to getting within striking distance of a possible medal.
Playing against an experienced opponent, Gnana Dattu showcased his racquet skills as he executed late flicks and flat pushes, particularly under pressure, to outmaneuver Tan.
In both games, Dattu and Tan focused on not making any errors in the earlier exchanges and it was the Indian who managed to grab the initiative from 8-8. In the second game, Tan managed to save three match points from 10-14 down as Dattu suddenly tried to avoid mistakes but the Indian managed to hold his nerves on the fourth point to seal his quarterfinal spot.
“Though he has more experience than me because he has played a few senior tournaments, I was confident that I can beat him if I can play at my best and I am happy that I could do that today,” said Gnana Dattu, who is playing in his first World Junior Championships.
On the adjacent court, Bhavya and Toppo perfectly executed the game plan from the better side of the court to upset the third seeds from France.
