Sankar makes the men’s U-19 BWF World junior badminton championships final

The 18-year-old said winning a medal was always in his mind, and that he is thrilled to make it to the summit clash on his maiden world juniors

India’s Sankar Muthusamy seeded four, played a robust defensive game to defeat Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul of Thailand 21-13, 21-15 to enter the men’s u-19 singles final of the BWF World junior badminton championships here on Saturday. He is the lone seeded player left in the championships. 

An attacking and fleet-footed player, Teeraratsakul did trouble the Indian with his crosscourt and down-the line smashes but Sankar’s relentless retrievals and consistency paid off.

The first game was close till 11-10, and after that the Thai committed a lot of unforced errors while Sankar kept the shuttle in play, attacking rarely. 

The second game too followed a similar pattern. Sankar hardly faced any resistance once he took a 13-9 lead. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Sankar said: “It was a tough match and not what the scoreline suggests. He (the Thai) is an attacking player and pretty good, too. But as I got better with my defence while he got frustrated and started to make errors.”

The 18-year-old said winning a medal was always in his mind, and that he is thrilled to make it to the summit clash on his maiden world juniors. “As you know, every match is tough. I am looking forward to the final,” said Sankar.