Devika’s first, India’s next: Youngest Indian woman to win Super 300 title could carry the Saina-Sindhu torch forward | Badminton News

NEW DELHI: Arms aloft in Bangkok, time paused just long enough for the win to sink in. The Thailand Masters 2026 trophy felt less like an arrival and more like a quiet announcement.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!At 20, Devika Sihag had just become the youngest, and only the third, Indian women’s singles shuttler after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to win a BWF World Tour Super 300 title. For Indian badminton, it was another name added to a selective roll call.

“Before going to the tournament, I had made up my mind that I’ll give my best in every match,” Devika told TOI in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “From the beginning, I was playing really good. After winning against Supanida (Katethong), the number one seed, in the quarters I felt confident about my chances in the tournament.”At 172 cm, Devika is one of the taller trainees at the Centre of Badminton Excellence in Bengaluru, formerly known as the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). Height, in her case, is a resource rather than a guarantee. The speed it promises still needs sharpening. “After training with Sindhu didi, I can clearly see how much difference we have in our speeds,” she said. “She is playing at the highest level the sport can offer. Now I know that I have to include a considerable amount of pace in my game to compete against higher-ranked players.”Know Devika Sihag

The journey to this point began far from the controlled environment of elite academies. Devika hails from Panchkula, where she trained for four formative years at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. Coached by Rohit Mandhana, she learned the rhythms of competition. Her parents — Ajit Sihag, a lawyer, and her mother, a teacher — initially enrolled Devika and her brother in badminton for fitness. Before that, she was a skater. Results slowly shifted the family’s perspective from recreation to possibility.That possibility prompted a decisive move in 2017 to Bengaluru. At PPBA, she trained under Umendra Rana, absorbing the discipline of a system designed to produce international players. In recent months, her court education has taken another turn. She has been working closely with Sindhu and former Indonesian shuttler and renowned coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, an association that has sharpened her understanding of the modern game.“Coach Irwansyah always tells me that my strokes are good, but I need to work more on my agility and speed. That would really enhance my game,” she said.Away from the court, Devika is pursuing a BBA in sports management from Chitkara University. She has always been comfortable with books, a student who managed to keep her grades steady even as badminton demanded more of her time. That balance perhaps explains the clarity with which she speaks about expectations.“Of course, now people will expect more from me. I hope that I can do better in Super 500 and even Super 750 tournaments. I’ll improve on the mistakes that I am making. When I go back to Bangalore, I’ll try my best to get my game even better.”The focus now, unmistakably, is to improve her fitness levels. “Badminton nowadays is all about fitness; everyone has good strokes. So, we’ve to be very strong with our fitness levels plus strength wise too we’ve to be at our peak,” she said.“I am working on my running sessions as well as my strength sessions. But, particularly, for me, I need more strength work. I need more strength in my lower body. I think I’m getting better at my game day by day, so I now need to improve my strength and conditioning,” she added.At home, celebration has been brief and grounded. “My parents are really happy and they just told me that I should work harder. I should not be satisfied with this title,” she said. “My father keeps telling me about the mistakes I make, what aspects I should work on.”And beyond the immediate milestones lies the horizon every Indian shuttler eventually fixes her gaze upon. “The ultimate goal is always the Olympic medal. I hope I can qualify for big tournaments like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympics, and then win medals for the country as well,” Devika said.