Jaipur: Satvik Agrawal presented himself and his family a perfect Diwali gift by emerging champion at the Yonex-Sunrise All India Sub-Junior (Under-13) Ranking Badminton tournament which concluded in DibrugarhAssam, on Wednesday. The six-day tournament was organised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
Twelve-year-old Satvik clinched the U-13 boys singles title to become the first shuttler from Rajasthan to win national-level title in this age group.
Jaipur boy Satvik edged past wild card entrant Anikesh Dutta of Assam 24-22, 21-19 in a thrilling U-13 boys singles summit clash. Top seed Satvik needed 36 minutes to overcome the stiff challenge from Anikesh.
Satvik, a Standard VIII student of Sand Dune Academy Muhana, was stretched to the limit in the first game. The city lad kept his nerves intact in the pressure situations to win the extended opening game 24-22.
In the second game too, both the shuttlers fought hard for each point and there was a see-saw battle till the final moments of the match. Satvik, who trains at DMR Badminton Academya multi-sports arena, displayed a brilliant overall performance to finish the match in straight games.
The presence of coach Braj Raj Singh Shekhawatwho guided Satvik from the sidelines, really helped him bag his maiden All India title.
Satvik really lived up to his top billing by dominating the entire tournament. He won all his six matches in the tournament without conceding a single game to his opponents.
On Tuesday, Satvik defeated 16th seed Pratham Raut of Maharashtra 21-8, 21-8 in the quarter-final. Later in the day, Satvik got the better of a qualifier Abhigyan Dutta 21-10, 21-10 to sail into the final.
“My toughest match of the tournament was today’s final. He gave me a good fight, but I didn’t lose focus. I am really thrilled to claim my first major title. The entire credit for my success goes to my coach Shekhawat Sir. I came quite close to entering the final in the last tournament in Ranchi but this time I am glad I could win the crown,” Satvik told TOI on Wednesday.
Satvik, who is ranked No. 5 in the BAI rankings, lost a close semi-final in the last All India tournament in September. He also played in Kolkata’s All India tourney by reaching the quarters.
“Satvik was unstoppable in this tournament. He created history as far as Rajasthan badminton is concerned by winning the title. This title will certainly boost his confidence and will help him perform better in the future,” said veteran coach Shekhawat, a former RBI employee and represented his organisation and state in several national tournaments.
