Nagpur's rising badminton star, Nehal Gosavi, exhibited her exceptional skills and tenacity in the Under-19 girls singles quarterfinals of the Shivajiraje Bhonsale Memorial Maharashtra U-19 State Selection Badminton Tournament at Satara. In a thrilling encounter, Nehal overcame an initial game deficit to surprise the top seed, Ananya Gadgil from Pune.

In the first game, Ananya Gadgil dominated, securing a convincing victory at 21-12. Undeterred, Nehal fought back valiantly, winning the second game 21-14, leveling the match at 1-1. Buoyed by her success, Nehal showed remarkable composure in the extended decider, clinching it 24-22 and causing a major upset.

Having booked her spot in the semifinals, Nehal will now face Pune's Sanika Patankar in what promises to be an exciting match. On her journey to the quarters, Nehal displayed exceptional form, defeating her city-mates Pinak Rode (21-4, 21-11), Kripi Sajwan (21-17, 21-16), and Aurangabad's Sanskruti Satarkar (21-12, 21-19).

In addition to her singles success, Nehal also demonstrated her prowess in the mixed doubles category, partnering with Latur's Nagesh Chamle. They advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Parth Lohakare and Hetal Vishwakarma (24-22, 21-13) in an intense Round of 16 match. The pair will now face Devesh Jena and Nagpur's Nikkita Joseph in their upcoming match.

Despite her impressive run in the tournament, Nehal faced disappointment in the girls doubles event, where she and her partner, Ananya Durugkar, lost in the quarterfinals to the second-seeded duo of Aarti Chougale and Ananya Gadgil (16-21, 20-22).

Nehal owes her exceptional skills and remarkable growth to the guidance of her renowned coach, Kiran Makode, under whose mentorship she trains at VBA Hall. With her recent performances, Nehal has established herself as a promising talent to watch out for in the badminton circuit.