Published: July 26, 2026 at 10:03 pm
Sai Nachiketh Bhatraju in on a winning spree. The Hyderabadi, who had won the singles title at the All England Open Junior, made it two in two weeks as the shuttler clinched title at the Turkish Junior International 2026.
Sai Nachiketh, who was seeded third in the tournament, overcame top seed M Toremis of Turkey in the final to make it a back-to-back title.
Sai Nachiketh creates history by winning All England Open junior title 2026
The Indian shuttler won the final in straight games but it was not an easy victory. In the first game, Sai Nachiketh proved quite a handful for his Turkish rival as he cruised to a comfortable 21-11 win.
But the tide turned in the second game as Toremis put up a brilliant fightback. The Turkish shuttler ran Sai Nachiketh ragged but the Indian managed to shut out his rival. Sai Nachiketh won the second game and the title at 23-21.
In the semifinals, Sai Nachiketh brooked no challenge against Amer Mohammed of Saudi Arabia. The Indian won the first game at 21-13 and despite Amer putting up a fight in the second game, Sai Nachiketh won it 21-19.
The only challenge the Hyderabadi found in the tournament was in the quarterfinal against Iran’s A Ahmadloo. It took Sai Nachiketh three games to prevail over his rival.
In what turned out to be a closely fought affair, Sai Nachiketh managed to eke out a hard gained victory. He won the first game at 21-18 but his Iranian opponent came back strongly to win the second game at 23-21.
A stunned Sai Nachiketh then pulled up his socks to thrash Ahmadloo 21-9 to book his semifinal berth.
Sai Nachiketh trains at CABA
Sai Nachiketh trains at the Chetan Anand Badminton Academy (CABA) in Hyderabad, under the guidance of former World No. 10 and Arjuna Awardee Chetan Anand.
His remarkable achievement reflects years of disciplined training, relentless hard work, and world-class coaching.
“It’s not easy to win back-to-back international tournaments. I am very happy he maintained his concentration, composure and also managed the stress both mentally and physically as it has been a tough two weeks for him,” said Chetan Anand.
“I am proud of him for winning 2 titles in two weeks, but this is just the beginning. He needs to keep working hard and win more laurels when representing India,” he added.
Results: Final: 3-Sai Nachiketh Bhatraju beat 1-M Toremis (Turkey) 21-11, 23-21.
Semifinal: 3-Sai Nachiketh Bhatraju beat Amer Mohammed (Saudi Arabia) 21-13, 21-19.
Quarterfinal: 3-Sai Nachiketh Bhatraju beat A Ahmadloo (Iran) 21-18, 21-23, 21-9.
