Can Sankar Muthusamy replicate Nehwal's heroics to be India's next junior World Champion?

India's Sankar Muthusamy on Saturday created history as he reached the final of the BWF World Junior Championships in Santandar, Spain. Sankar beat Thailand's Panitchapon Teeraratsakul in the semi-final of the men's U-19 singles in straight games to advance to his maiden BWF World Junior Championships final. Sankar is now all set to take on Chinese Taipei's Kuo Kuan Lin in the final of the competition that is scheduled to be held on Sunday. 

Can Sankar replicate Saina Nehwal's heroics?

If Sankar overcomes Kuo Kuan Lin in tonight's final, he will become just the second Indian shuttler to win the BWF World Junior Championships. Saina Nehwal, a seasoned Indian women's player, is the only Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships, which had been dominated by Chinese shuttlers thus far. Nehwal won the women's singles event in 2008 after beating Japan's Sayaka Sato in straight games. 

Sankar can repeat Nehwal's heroics since he is the first Indian badminton player to reach the finals of the junior world championships since Siril Verma in 2016. The 17-year-old has already confirmed India's 10th medal at the junior world badminton championships, which is also India's first in the tournament since Lakshya Sen won a bronze medal in the men's singles category in 2018.

Going into the 2022 edition of the BWF World Junior Championships, India had one gold medal, three silver medals, and five bronze medals in its overall tally. 

Sankar at BWF World Junior Championships 2022

Sankar kicked off his campaign in the BWF World Junior Championships 2022 with a bye in the Round of 128. He defeated Singapore’s Remus NG by 21-13, 21-8 in the Round of 64, before winning 21-4, 21-5 against Basilio Porto of Spain. The shuttler maintained his unbeaten run with a 21-10, 21-12 win over Thailand’s Nachakaon Pusri in the Round of 16 to qualify for the quarter-final.

Sankar emerged victorious against Chinese player Hu Zhe An by 21-18, 8-21, 21-16 in the quarter-final to secure his place in the semis. In the semi-final, the teenager defeated Panitchapon Teeraratsakul by 21-13, 21-15 to reach the BWF World Junior Championships final.