Olympic medalists Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have inspired thousands of girls to take up badminton. Here are five players from the current crop who could achieve significant things on the court.
Ashmita Chaliha
The 23-year-old Assamese is ranked 45 in the BWF Rankings. Her first success was winning the Dubai International Challenge in 2018 and she followed it up with a gold medal at the South Asian Games 2019. Moreover, Ashmita has also landed the Maldives International Challenge and Tata Open India International titles.
Aakarshi Kashyap
Another young star in the making on the Indian badminton front is Chhattisgarh's Aakarshi Kashyap. Currently ranked 43 in the BWF Rankings, Aakarshi's rise to fame was due to being part of the mixed team event at the 2022 CWG wherein she helped the team bag a silver medal. Aakarshi has also won a gold medal in the team event at the South Asian Games 2019. Recently, she defeated sixth seed Michelle Li at the Spain Masters Super 300 event in Madrid.
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Malvika Bansod
The Nagpur girl is ranked 47 in the BWF Rankings. Despite losing in the final of the Syed Modi International 2022 against Sindhu, she earned high praise from her illustrious opponent. The 22-year-old also defeated Saina at the India Open Super 500 last year.
Anupama Upadhyaya
At 18, she has already cracked the BWF top-100. In 2022, Anupama was the world’s top-ranked junior. Currently, she's ranked third in the junior rankings. Anupama has won the BWF Junior International title and has won the India International Challenge Women's Singles title in 2021. She followed that up with the Poland International Challenge Women's Singles in 2022.
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Tanisha Crasto
The 20-year-old is ranked 62 in the BWF Women's Doubles Rankings alongside Ashwini Ponnappa. Born in Dubai, Tanisha’s roots lie in Goa. Recently, the Tanisha-Ashwini pair clinched the Nantes International Challenge title. They beat the Chinese Taipei pair of En-Tzu and Yu-Pei 21-15, 21-14 in the final. With the Asian Games and Sudirman Cup on the horizon, Tanisha’s good showing could prove to be a boon for India at the mega events this year.
