Semi Finalists gear up for coveted 'PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship' scholarship

Eight national winners will be wining scholarships for training to a reputed Badminton Academy of their choice and sixteen talented children from the economically backward background were presented scholarships for training by a popular coach or at a badminton academy closest to their homes.

Over 250 finalists of the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship spent an interesting day interacting with Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, shuttler Saina Nehwal and International Coaches from BWF and Tarun Chugh, MD and CEO, PNB Metlife who attended the opening finale match in Delhi to motivate young shuttlers.

The national finals for the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship are being held from March 23rd – 25th, 2015 at the Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi. The scores for the  quarter-finals are as follows:

Boys Under 9

Udayan Saikia  (1/4), ASSAM, def. Siddarth Rawat (5/8), UTTARAKHAND, 21-19 21-9 .

Mithileish P Krishnan, PUDUCHERRY, def. Koustubh Tyagi, UTTARAKHAND, 19-21 21-15 22-20 .

Neer Nehwal (1/4), UTTAR PRADESH, def. Devang Tomar, DELHI, 21-18 21-14 .

N.Pranauv Ram (1/4), TAMIL NADU, def. Ansh Negi, UTTARAKHAND, 20-22 21-16 21-11 .

Girls Under 9

Aparajita Kalra, UTTAR PRADESH, def. Tanvi Sharma, PUNJAB, 19-21 21-17 21-17 .

V. Shriyanshi (1/4), TELANGANA, def. Mounitha.A.S, KARNATAKA, 21-12 21-10 .

Taarini Suri (1/4), MAHARASHTRA, def. Anahat Singh, DELHI, 21-8 21-6 .

Vartika Singh (1/4), UTTARAKHAND, def. K.N.Kanihaa, TAMIL NADU, 21-5 21-3 .

Boys Under 11

Upananda Rajkumar  (1/3), MANIPUR, def. Ayush R.Shetty (8), KARNATAKA, 21-6 21-12 .

Manraj Singh (4/7), HARYANA, def. Chirag Khatri, DELHI, 21-13 21-14 .

Raghav, HARYANA, def. Shinde Tejas Nitin (1/3), MAHARASHTRA, 21-17 21-14 .

Anmol Joon (1/3), DELHI, def. Tushar Suveer (4/7), KARNATAKA, 21-13 21-9 .

Girls Under 11

Vartika Singh, UTTARAKHAND, def. Haimajha M (1/3), PUDUCHERRY, 10-21 21-19 25-23 .

Pavithra Naveen (2/7), KERALA, def. Anupama Upadhyaya (2/7), UTTARAKHAND, 21-9 21-11 .

Anya Chauhan (1/3), UTTARAKHAND, def. Tara Shah (2/7), MAHARASHTRA, 21-10 21-16 .

Tasnim Mir (1/3), GUJARAT, def. Disha Sarma  (2/7), ASSAM, 21-15 21-7 .

Comments of Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife Insurance, “India has seen an unprecedented resurgence for badminton in last couple of years, courtesy the recent wins by India’s ace shuttlers. This has given the sport a shot in the arm and has elevated its appeal, cutting across all age-groups and across different strata. The diversity that badminton is able to bring in the sport resonates deeply with our brand values. Through the ‘PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship’, we seek to provide a pan India platform to children across different strata’s to chase their dreams and have an equal opportunity of being the future of Indian badminton.”

Chugh further said, “Through MetLife’s global partnership with Badminton World Federation (BWF), we have the opportunity to bring the sport back to its status as a fun, family sport. We are working with Housing societies and Corporates to conduct the badminton tournaments, giving people an opportunity to engage with friends and families in a competitive yet fun environment.”