JAIPUR: Teenage sensation Sanskar Saraswat of Rajasthan dazzled in the All India Junior Ranking Badminton tournament which concluded in Panchkula on Thursday.
The week-long annual tournament was organised by the Badminton Association of India.
Eighteen-year-old Jodhpur boy emerged as champion in the Under-19 boys singles and proved his versatility by finishing runner-up in the U-19 boys doubles.
In the one-sided singles final, Sanskar thrashed Delhi's Sonna Ginpaul 21-11, 21-12 to clinch his maiden national crown.
The tall shuttler dominated the final from the start to finish to create history. He is the first Rajasthan shuttler to win the national title.
Sanskar missed the double crown as he and his partner Arsh Mohammed (Uttar Pradesh) lost the boys doubles summit clash. Sanskar and Arsh squandered away one game advantage to lose a thrilling final.
Sanskar recently helped Rajasthan clinch their maiden North Zone Senior Inter-State badminton tournament in Chandigarh. Sanskar also represented the junior Indian team at the Asian Championship a few months ago.
Sanskar, who started training under the guidance of his father Raj Saraswat, is now getting coaching at the Badminton Association of India's Centre of Excellence in Guwahati.
An elated Sanskar admitted that this season is perhaps the best one for him and he wants to make it count with a series of impressive performance in the upcoming tournaments.
"This year is turning out to be a great one for me. I have done well in almost all the tournaments. Joining BAI's National Centre of Excellence has proved quite beneficial for me. I now wants to shine in the senior section also. I want to thank my coaches and support staff for my success," Sanskar told TOI on Thursday.
