Raksha Kandasamy finishes as runner-up at All England Junior Badminton Championships

Second seed Raksha lost 21-19, 12-21, 11-21 to top seed Jackie Dent of Canada in the summit clash which lasted 42 minutes.

From left to right: Runner-up Raksha Kandasamy, champion Jackie Dent and losing semifinalist Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye during the medal ceremony at the All England Junior Badminton Championships in Birmingham on Sunday. | Photo Credit: BADMINTON ENGLAND/TWITTER

India’s Raksha Kandasamy finished as runner-up at the inaugural edition of the All England Junior Badminton Championships in Birmingham on Sunday.

Second seed Raksha lost 21-19, 12-21, 11-21 to top seed Jackie Dent of Canada in the summit clash which lasted 42 minutes.

The 15-year-old Raksha, who hails from Navi Mumbai but trains in Hyderabad, began her campaign with straight-games win over Welsh player Ishasriya Mekala before defeating compatriot Taarini Suri in the same fashion in the round of 16.

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Kandasamy 🇮🇳 was down 20-12 in the second set but she brought the most spectacular comeback to defeat the American 12-21 24-22 21-15 in 55 minutes 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/MKCCsRPC2u

— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) July 29, 2023

In the quarterfinals, Raksha saved eight match points before taking down seventh-seeded American Ella Lin 12-21, 24-22, 21-17. In the semifinals too, she was on the brink of elimination but managed to save four match points and beat third-seeded Italian Gianna Stiglich 21-13, 16-21, 25-23.

Another Indian, Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye, reached the semifinals before losing to Dent.

In mixed doubles, Taarini and her English partner Dillon Chong lost in the summit clash.