Devika’s first, India’s next: Youngest Indian woman to win Super 300 title could carry on Saina-Sindhu torch | Badminton News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: With arms raised in Bangkok, time stood still just long enough for victory to sink in. The 2026 Thailand Masters trophy felt less like an arrival and more like a silent announcement.Go beyond the border with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!At 20, Devika Sihag had just become the youngest and only the third Indian women’s singles shuttler, after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, to win a BWF World Tour Super 300 title. For Indian badminton, it was another name added to a selective roll call.

“Before going to the tournament, I had decided that I would give my best in every match,” Devika told TOI in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “I played very well from the start. After beating number one Supanida (Katethong) in the quarter-finals, I was confident about my chances in the tournament.”At 172 cm, Devika is one of the taller trainees at the Center of Badminton Excellence in Bengaluru, formerly known as the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). In her case, height is more of an aid than a guarantee. The speed it promises still needs to be improved. “After training with Sindhu Didi, I can clearly see how much difference we have in our speeds,” she said. “She plays at the highest level the sport has to offer. Now I know I have to incorporate a fair amount of pace into my game to compete with higher-ranked players.”Knowing Devika Sihag

The journey to this point began far outside the controlled environment of elite academies. Devika hails from Panchkula, where she trained at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium for four formative years. Coached by Rohit Mandhana, she learned the rhythms of competition. Her parents – Ajit Sihag, a lawyer, and her mother, a teacher – initially enrolled Devika and her brother in badminton for fitness. Before that she was a skater. The results slowly shifted the family’s perspective from recreation to opportunity.That opportunity led to a decisive move to Bengaluru in 2017. At PPBA, she trained under Umendra Rana and absorbed the discipline of a system designed to produce international players. In recent months, her court training has taken a new turn. She has worked closely with Sindhu and former Indonesian shuttler and renowned coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, an association that has honed her understanding of the modern game.“Coach Irwansyah always tells me that my strokes are good, but I need to work more on my agility and speed. That would really improve my game,” she said.Off the court, Devika is pursuing a BBA in Sports Management from Chitkara University. She has always been comfortable with books, a student who managed to keep her grades steady even as badminton demanded more of her time. That balance may explain the clarity with which she speaks about expectations.“Of course, people will expect more from me now. I hope I can do better in Super 500 and even Super 750 tournaments. I will improve the mistakes I make. When I go back to Bangalore, I will try my best to improve my game even more.”The focus is now unmistakably on improving her condition. “Badminton these days is all about fitness; everyone has good strokes. So we have to be very strong with our fitness and also we have to be at our peak strength-wise,” she said.“I’m working on my running as well as my strength sessions. But mainly for me, I need more strength work. I need more strength in my lower body. I think I’m getting better in my game every day, so I need to improve my strength and fitness now,” she added.At home the celebration was short and grounded. “My parents are very happy and they just told me that I had to work harder. I shouldn’t be satisfied with this title,” she said. “My dad keeps telling me what mistakes I’m making and what I need to work on.”And beyond the immediate milestones lies the horizon that every Indian shuttler ultimately sets her sights on. “The ultimate goal is always the Olympic medal. I hope I can qualify for major tournaments like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games and then also win medals for the country,” Devika said.