Asha Sree bags gold medal in U-13 badminton tournament
In a thrilling final, Asha edged past Kyra Raina of Maharashtra with scores of 21-17, 16-21, 21-19.
She also secured a bronze medal in the doubles category and had earlier defeated Punya MN of Bengaluru in straight sets in the semifinals.
Asha trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy under Coach Shaili and is currently ranked No. 2 nationally.
Her father, Dandu Srinivasa Rao, expressed immense joy over her performance.
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India Today
01-07-2025
- India Today
Tall, fierce and focused: Ayush Shetty reminds Viktor Axelsen of his younger self
At 6-foot-4, Ayush Shetty cuts an imposing figure on the badminton court. His lean frame, steep jump smashes, and improved court coverage have caught attention of the world. Many have begun noting the resemblance to Denmark's towering Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen. The comparisons, of course, stop at the surface. While Axelsen has already conquered the sport, Ayush is just beginning to find his footing on the senior circuit. But there's no mistaking it: the 20-year-old from Mangalore is rising, and rising first big marker came at the US Open Super 300 in Iowa this June. In the semi-finals, Shetty faced off against World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen in a gripping three-game encounter. At one point, a 39-shot rally showed just how far Ayush has come: from being known for his aggressive attacking play to now demonstrating resilience, composed play from the back of the court, and mature shot selection. His hustle, including a beyond-believable flick from the back of the court while being off balance, earned him a sensational point and, eventually, a statement action sees Chou Tien Chen and Ayush Shetty go the distance.#BWFWorldTour #USOpen2025 BWF (@bwfmedia) June 29, 2025In the final on Sunday, he beat Canada's Brian Yang to claim his maiden senior international title, making him the first Indian to win a BWF Tour title in It was a breakthrough week for the 20-year-old, who has shown more than once this year that he has the ability to battle with the best at the highest level.'Ayush is from Mangalore, from a middle-class family,' recalls Vimal Kumar, former coach and one of the founders of Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, where Ayush now trains.'He moved to Bangalore about seven or eight years ago, when he was still an early teenager. Initially, he was training under Krishna Kumar at I-Sports — a very good feeder in Karnataka. We have an understanding with I-Sports — when players are good, they come and train here because we have better facilities. That's how Ayush came to our academy about five years back.'I-Sports and krishna Kumar got it spot on once again. At PPBA, Ayush thrived. After beginning his badminton journey at the age of eight, inspired by his father, Ayush's training and intensity sharpened. In 2023, he won bronze at the BWF World Junior Championships in Spokane, USA — only the sixth Indian to do so in men's singles.'Ayush was a junior champion and a couple of years ago, he got that World Junior bronze. This year, I feel he's done well on the world stage — at the Orleans Masters, Chinese Taipei... He has beaten players like Loh Kean Yew, Rasmus Gemke and Kidambi Srikanth. That's a good indication,' says VIKTOR AXELSENadvertisementA lot of Ayush's improvement has come through intentional exposure to world-class training.'Last year, before the Olympics, we took him for a three-week training programme in Marseille with Lakshya Sen,' Vimal says."He trained with the Popov brothers — Toma and Christo — and that gave him a lot of confidence. Prior to that, we also sent him to Dubai to train with Viktor Axelsen when Viktor was based there. Viktor was quite impressed. He said, 'Ayush reminds me of my younger days', because both are tall, Ayush is 6'4", just like Viktor.'With that physical presence comes a unique challenge, and a massive opportunity.A GOOD BADMINTON BRAIN'As a tall player, Ayush did face challenges,' admits Vimal. 'Earlier, he was vulnerable defensively, especially when opponents attacked his body or played parallel shots. But this year, he's worked a lot on his defence and improved. He's bridged those areas. He's got a good badminton brain.'That 'badminton brain' has become one of Ayush's defining assets, helping him adapt, mix his game, and not rely only on his power. Against Chou Tien Chen in Iowa, it was clear he could stay in the rallies and not just try to blow opponents off the singles, the net game and defence are vital. He used to only play at the net and try to hit his way out, but players were reading him. Now, he's playing long rallies, lifting to the back, mixing it up. That's important. His smashes are still some of the hardest on the circuit — and if he finds more consistency with his angles, like Viktor, he'll be very hard to beat.'Still, there are a lot of areas to improve. Afterall, Ayush is just beginning to get a feel of what it is to battle against and beat the best.'His core strength and leg stability need work because he's lanky,' Vimal explains. 'Sometimes he hits a bit wild, but with more matches, he'll refine that.'LEARNING TO FLY SOLOIn a bold move, Ayush's team sent him to the North American leg of the season, including the US Open and Canada Open, without a coach or support it was a deliberate call,' Vimal confirmed.'We wanted him to take more responsibility and see how he copes. These days, players have personal coaches and trainers — but this was a good test. We're quite happy he's managing on his own.'That independence is showing. After cracking the world's top 35, Ayush now has a target: break into the top 25 to consistently play Super 500, 750, and 1000-level GOOD COMPANYAt the Padukone Academy, Ayush trains alongside Kiran George and others under the watchful eye of coach Sagar Chopda.'There's been good progress,' Vimal says. 'I was especially pleased with the match he played against Chou Tien Chen — he lost the first narrowly, but came back really well. That shows good temperament. It's not easy to beat a player like Chou.'The Indian men's singles scene is stacked with talent — Lakshya Sen, Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat — but Vimal believes it's players like Ayush who now must push through.'At 19-20, you have to do that — like Lakshya did a couple of years ago. We have players stuck in the 30s (ranking), and I hope they come out of that. These four — Ayush, Lakshya, Kiran, Priyanshu — can take over from the current generation.'advertisementThe camaraderie among them is strong. 'Yes, they stay in touch. Today also we exchanged messages after watching his match last night. We told him not to celebrate too much — there are still five matches to go in Canada!' Vimal US Open title has marked him as India's next big hope. The Viktor Axelsen references may keep surfacing — but Ayush isn't chasing them. His real challenge begins now: building the mental resilience to block out the noise, the consistency to deliver week after week, and the hunger to keep he's not doing it alone. With a strong support system and a sharp group of peers around him, Ayush has all the tools to build on the spark that he has showed over the last couple of Vimal Kumar puts it: 'He's slowly maturing. I'm happy that at 20, he's won his first tournament and beaten good players. If he finds consistency, I am sure he will win a lot more medals for the country.'- Ends
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- The Hindu
SRM University-A.P. student wins silver in badminton tournament
Rushendra Thirupathi, a first-year BBA student at SRM University-A.P., clinched the silver medal in the men's singles category at the Yonex-Sunrise 11th Telangana State Senior Badminton Championship 2025. A statement released by the SRM University-A.P. said that Rushendra, who is a native of Telangana, had secured a gold at the Yonex-Sunrise 46th Junior National Badminton Championship 2023 at Bengaluru, and a bronze in the NMDC Telangana International Challenge in 2024. Rushendra thanked his coach, mentors and the teams from Gopichand Academy and SRM University-A.P. for believing in him and his skills. 'Their guidance and support helped me overcome difficulties and excel in the final round of the championship,' he said. 'We empower our athletes to rise, compete and conquer national and international tournaments,' said Director of Sports at SRM University-A.P., Anup Singh Suryavanshi. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Ch. Satish Kumar and Vice-Chancellor Manoj K. Arora congratulated Rushendra for his achievement.
New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- New Indian Express
SRM's student wins silver at the badminton tourney
VIJAYAWADA: Badminton Player Rushendra Thirupathi, a first-year BBA student of SRM University- AP, clinched the silver medal in the Men's Singles category at the Yonex-Sunrise 11th Telangana State Senior Badminton Championship 2025. Previously, Rushendra secured gold at the Yonex-Sunrise 46th Junior National Badminton Championships 2023 at Bengaluru and a bronze medal in the NMDC Telangana International Challenge in 2024. After a well-awaited victory, Rushendra expressed his gratitude to his coaches, trainers, and team, who supported him during his time off. Director of Sports, Anup Singh Suryavanshi, applauded his remarkable achievement. Prof. Ch Satish Kumar, Pro Vice-Chancellor, appreciated the student. Prof. Manoj K Arora, Vice_Chancellor of SRM AP, also congratulated him
