Pune: Nikhil Kanetkar, Upendra Fadnis, Aditya Kale qualify for BWF Senior World Championship
Pune, 25th March 2025: Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy’s (NKBA) Nikhil Kanetkar, Aditya Kale and Upendra Fadnis (RISE) put on their best game on display at the recently concluded 47th Indian Masters (Veteran) National Badminton Championships which took place in Goa. Their performance earned them a coveted spot at the upcoming BWF World Senior Championship, scheduled in September 2025.
In the MD 45 finals, Nikhil Kanetkar & Upendra Fadnis put up a valiant fight but they went down 18-21, 18-21 to top seeds Sunil Gladson and Vijay Mascarenhas, securing a well-deserved silver medal. Earlier the NKBA duo defeated Yuvraj Dayal and Senthil Velan K 21-15, 21-5 to secure a spot in the MD 45 semifinals.
Meanwhile in the MS 40 quarterfinal action, NKBA’s Aditya Kale overcame a tough challenge from 13th seed Akash Sethi to win 21-17, 22-20. In the semi-final clash, Aditya put his best effort but went down to 5th seed Arup Baidya 7-21, 11-21.
Speaking after qualifying for the BWF World Senior Championship, Adiya said “The tournament has been a good learning experience. Qualifying for the world stage has been the highlight of the tournament. It’s now time I put in more effort and prepare for the upcoming challenge. I would like to thank Nikhil Kanetkar and all my coaches at NKBA for their hard work and keeping faith in me. I would also like to thank everyone else for their support throughout the tournament.”
Sharing his views, Nikhil Kanetkar said “It has been a wonderful experience playing in the Master Nationals after 8 years. Upendra Fadnis is a great partner. We came through the qualifying rounds and went upto the finals without losing a game. In the finals, we played well but lost to Vijay and Sunil with Vijay being a two-time former Masters World Champion.”
Speaking after qualifying, Upendra Fadnis said “Representing India is the biggest motivation that has kept me going in the sport and particularly in the Masters circuit for over a decade now. This time, I am happy and excited to partner with an Olympian and believe we can put on a formidable medal performance.”
