MARGAO
Goan players delivered strong performances on day two of the Yonex-Sunrise 48th Indian Masters (Veteran) National Badminton Championships 2025-26, with several locals progressing across categories.
Chinmay Fallary continued his impressive run in the men’s singles, edging past Jose Mathew of Kerala in a thrilling three-game contest to qualify for the main draw. In the main draw matches, Manjiri Moktali registered a hard-fought win over Aley Cherian of Tamil Nadu in the women’s singles 55 category.
Rupchandra Humraskar advanced in the men’s singles 60 after defeating Achumi Yekhuvi of Nagaland, while Roseline Bunyan moved ahead in the women’s singles 70. Veteran Dr Satish Kudchadkar also impressed, advancing to the quarterfinals in the men’s singles 80 with a convincing win over Damodar Thombre of Maharashtra.
The championship, organised by the Goa Badminton Association under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India, also saw top seeds asserting their dominance. Rathan Nahar of Karnataka and Atul Kulkarni of Maharashtra progressed in the men’s singles 55 category, while Ram Lakhan of Punjab National Bank and Suresh Ayyappan of Maharashtra advanced in men’s singles 60.
Among the notable upsets, Nandkishore Kulkarni of Karnataka defeated Harmeet Singh Anand of Rajasthan, while Dolatsing Dodiya of Gujarat knocked out eighth seed Lalrinkima R. In the 70+ category, Inderpal Verma of Bihar stunned top seed Balbir Singh Jamwal of Jammu and Kashmir.
