India, April 16 -- It has been a positive start to the season for Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, especially after a below par 2024 where the shuttler from Chennai languished in qualifying rounds of most tournaments.

The 21-year-old made the headlines in 2022 when he became the junior world No.1 following which he made the men's singles final of the BWF World Junior Championships. After graduating to the senior level in 2023, Sankar rose through the ranks to reach a couple of finals - winning Luxembourg Open - before stagnating in 2024.

But the southpaw has had a fresh start this year, reaching the quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters and Swiss Open, beating higher-ranked opponents. In Basel, he also achieved a significant high when he ...