Ludhiana: Over 500 shuttlers have converged at Shastri Hall in Guru Nanak Stadium to compete in the District Badminton Championship, organised by the Badminton Association of Ludhiana (BAL). The tournament was officially inaugurated by deputy commissioner and BAL president Himanshu Jain, setting off an action-packed schedule featuring young talent across multiple age categories.Opening-day matches saw spirited action in the Under-11 and Under-13 divisions. In the Boys Singles Under-11 category, Surya Jain defeated Kartik Puri (15-10, 15-1), Harsharan Singh Baj beat Reyansh Bajaj (15-8, 15-3), Divyanshu Chona overcame Pratyush Dev (15-12, 15-10), Agam Bhalla dominated Anmol Babkoo (15-11, 15-11), Himonish Dhiman outplayed Hemant Bhanji (15-3, 15-1), and Rajvika Duggal scored a convincing win over Navzab Sehgal (15-3, 15-7).In the Girls Singles Under-11 matches, Aadashpreet Kaur topped Gunraaz Kaur (15-9, 15-4), Shuvi Kaur defeated Akira Jain (15-1, 15-2), and Navika Goel swept past Elahi Bansal (15-5, 15-0), while Amaira Sukhija advanced after receiving a bye.The Girls Singles Under-13 category witnessed dominant straight-set victories as well. Aradhya Kaushal defeated Sudiksha Meena (15-7, 15-4), Avni Singhsania beat Vanshika Kapoor (15-7, 15-7), and Rajbala Kaur got the better of Aisha Khurana (15-8, 15-8). Closing out the round with commanding performances were Maanvi against Prisha Mittal (15-3, 15-2), Sunder Kaur Namdhari against Jesnoor Kaur (15-3, 15-2), Shatakshi Dhiman against Anima Singh (15-2, 15-2), Nitara Sharma against Yeshnaa Kohli (15-3, 15-2), Avleen Kaur against Gauri Malhotra (15-3, 15-6), Tania Dhiman against Sehar Pahwa (15-4, 15-6), and Prabhnoor Kaur, who defeated Talzmeen Kaur (15-0, 15-1).
