Shriyanshi’s victory in the Al Ain Masters raises Indian hopes | Badminton News – The Times of India

Shriyanshi Valishetty ended Indian women’s barren run on the BWF Tour by winning the singles title at the Al Ain Masters Super-100 tournament in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. In an all-Indian final, Shriyanshi defeated former BWF world junior no. 1 Tasna Peace 15-21, 22-20, 21-7.Go beyond the border with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!PV Sindhu was the last Indian woman to win a BWF tournament – the Syed Modi BWF Super-300 tournament in December 2024. Before Shriyanshi’s victory, Ayush Shetty, who won the US Open Super-300 in June, was the only Indian to top the podium in 2025.Despite their impressive performance this year, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are yet to secure a title. After the achievements of Saina Nehwal, Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Satwik-Chirag in the last 15 years, a Super-100 win may not be that attractive but will provide hope for Indian badminton.At 176 cm tall, the hard-hitting Shriyanshi, along with girls like Tanvi Sharma, Tanvi Patri, Anmol Kharb, Tasnim Mir and Unnati Hooda, carries India’s singles hopes.

In fact, 18-year-old Shriyanshi was the first to taste great success among these girls. While the rest are busy representing the country at the BWF World Junior Championships in Guwahati, Shriyanshi was elated with her performance. “It is an exciting win. I enjoyed it as it is my first international title. It motivates me to do much better for the country,” Shriyanshi said upon her arrival here on Tuesday.Shriyanshi was attracted to badminton because her elder brother Ashrith was fond of it. Joining the Gopichand Academy was a dream come true for her. Head coach Pullela Gopichand is targeting a bunch of teenagers and Shriyanshi is one of them. “Every day he (Gopichand) trains them personally. We are very happy with her victory. But this is a small first step,” said father Ramakrishna.