World No 188 Sanskar Saraswat back on track after scoring upset win at Vietnam

6-ft-3 NCE trainee, whose father played on old Bijlighar cement courts in Jodhpur, defeats compatriot World No 51 Kiran George 21-12, 10-21, 21-18 at Ho Chi Minh city to make quarters of the Super 100 event

3 min readUpdated: Sep 10, 2026 06:21 PM IST

Shuttler Sanskar Saraswat (RAJ) in action during the Yonex-Sunrise 31st Smt. Krishan Khaitan All India (U19) Ranking Badminton Tournament 2024 at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Upcoming 6’3″ shuttler Sanskar Saraswat of Jodhpur, scored a stunning upset of senior compatriot Kiran George at the Super 100 Vietnam Open to majestic quarters on Thursday.

The trainee at Guwahati’s NCE who had last made headlines winning the Super 100 in the Assamese capital back in December, while starting from qualifying rounds won the three-setter from being 14-16 down in the decider for a 21-12, 10-21, 21-18 win.

Kiran, 26, is ranked World No 51, while Sanskar, 20 who is ranked No 188 and has struggled to make headway since the Guwahati podium, is still in transition after deciding to focus on singles for the last 7-8 months.

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“He has developed patience in fighting out for points in the last few months,” His father and first coach Raj Saraswat, said. Trained by Malaysian coach Shankar and Korean Park Tae Sang at the Guwahati facility, the intense strength training Sanskar had been put through in the gym, is beginning to yield results, Sr Saraswat said. “Psychologically, dealing with every point and waiting for his chances and not rushing is something he has learnt. He was 13-14 down in the decider. But he showed patience to win from there against a player who is very good,” the father added.

While gym-work has pulled back his court movement a tad, Sanskar is expected to get stronger in endurance and hid father also noticed that the smash jump from his 6’3″ frame and landing is looking sturdier and stable. “He hadn’t been getting good results for 6-7 months. So I told him to focus on his game and not worry about results aniseed it as his downfall,” he added.

At the International Challenge in Vietnam back in March, Sanskar had won the opener against lower-ranked Lei Ci Fu of Taiwan, but gone on to lose, in what tended to be a trend in his losses. “At NCE, he is getting personalised focus from coach Tan who is technically super, and his physical fitness from Shankar sir. After winning Guwahati, there was pressure to keep winning titles so he fell back. But I told him to take it one match at a time,” said the father who played cricket and badminton, but ended up busting both knees on the Old Bijlighar cement courts of Jodhpur.

Also Read | Rajasthan teen Sanskar Saraswat, whose father is a big Lee Chong Wei fan, wins his first Senior National doubles title

“This win against the 6th seed will be a major confidence booster for Sanskar,” Sr Saraswat says.

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Sanskar forms the new bunch of Men’s singles from India ho are jostling in the Super 100 bracket and beginning to make a mark alongside Rounak Chouhan, Tharun Mannepalli, Satish Karunakaran and Rithvik Sanjeevi.

In women’s singles, Isharani Baruah scored an impressive 21-18, 21-16 win over Goh Jin Wei while Tanvi Sharma, Rakshitha Sree Santosh and Malvika Bansod defeated lower ranked opponents to progress to quarters. HS Prannoy, seeded third, and playing the event to earn match practice ahead of Asiad, also advanced.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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