Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam swept the North East Zone Inter-State Badminton Championship team finals on September 17. The squad secured all four available titles at the JN Indoor Stadium. Assam defeated Arunachal Pradesh 2-0 in the boys team final and outpaced Manipur 3-1 for the mens crown. Assam also beat Mizoram 2-1 in the girls division and 3-0 in the womens category.
International shuttler Ashmita Chaliha led the winning womens team. Chaliha is a gold medallist from the 2024 Asia Team Championships. The mens final required a comeback after Manipur grabbed the opening singles match. Assam responded by winning two singles and the doubles to lock in the victory.
Meghalaya shuttlers advanced to the quarter-finals during the evening individual sessions. Netania T Tariang dominated the girls U-19 bracket, beating Sikkims Choying Tsepel Tamang 15-2, 15-3. Raynell Kharbuki defeated Sikkims Porvash Prasad 15-4, 15-10 to progress. His brother, Gavin Kharbuki, survived a three-game test against Mizorams Lalpekhluzuala to win 15-6, 10-15, 15-7.
Lalpekhluzuala struggled physically during the match. A reporter noted that "Lalpekhluzuala appeared to be struggling with discomfort from the second game after falling on court, but continued the contest." Meghalaya player Sneha Chettri exited the tournament after a loss to Mizorams Lalnunhluni. Elsarica Umdor, Pratiksha Joshi, Benhanan Kharwanlang, and Gitchiak Bregim A Sangma awaited their evening matches.
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