The badminton courts echoed with cheers and the swift ‘thwack’ of rackets as 19 of our finest athletes competed in this year’s intramural tournament. Here’s how the action unfolded: The tournament kicked off with electrifying preliminary matches. Bhavesh Naik announced his title intentions with a commanding 15-12, 15-10 victory over Reagan Rodrigues. In what many called the match of the day, Anish Maurya pushed Melfran Dias to the limit before falling 14-16, 15-10, 11-15 in a marathon encounter that had spectators on their feet.

Vernon Monteiro showed why he’s considered one of the college’s most consistent players, dismantling Chetan Sharma 15-8, 15-6 with clinical precision. Meanwhile, tournament favorite Shreyash Morudkar barely broke a sweat in his 15-5, 15-7 demolition of Sangarsh Kadav. Other notable results saw Suraj Rathod edge Abhishek Thakur 15-13, 12-15, 15-11 in a seesaw battle, while Varad Parab’s tactical mastery earned him a 15-9, 15-12 win against Raghav Shirodkar.

The quarterfinals saw Bhavesh Naik continue his dominant run with a 15-9, 15-11 victory over Suraj Rathod. Vernon Monteiro survived a stern test from Tanmay Kankonkar, prevailing 16-14, 15-12 in a match that could have gone either way.

The semifinals produced two contrasting encounters. In the first semi, Bhavesh Naik and Vernon Monteiro treated spectators to a badminton masterclass. Bhavesh took the first set 15-12, only for Vernon to fight back and claim the second 15-13. The decider was a nerve-wracking affair, with Bhavesh eventually emerging victorious 15-13 to book his place in the final. The second semifinal saw Shreyash Morudkar face Vignesh Naik in what many expected to be a close contest. However, Shreyash produced arguably his best performance of the tournament, overwhelming Vignesh 15-7, 15-9 with a dazzling display of power and precision.

The Grand Finale:
The championship match between Shreyash Morudkar and Bhavesh Naik lived up to all expectations. With Shreyash Morudkar winning 2-0. In the third-place playoff, Vernon Monteiro bounced back from his semifinal disappointment to defeat Vignesh Naik 15-8, 15-10, securing the bronze medal with a typically composed performance.