Nikhil Ramesh Holds His Nerve in a Battle-Tested Draw

The 35+ Men’s Singles at Badiwars 4.0 delivered yet another reminder of why this category remains one of the most unforgiving on the circuit — depth everywhere, no easy rounds, and experience tested at every stage.

Early Rounds: No Margin for Error

The round of 16 immediately set the tone.

Rahul Raghavan (Qualcomm) dismissed Nishant Dwivedi (Samsung) in straight sets, 21–16, 21–11.

Nikhil Ramesh (Baxter) made a confident start against Santosh Hirapur (CSG), winning 21–18, 21–11.

Bharadwaj Chowdary (IQVIA) overcame Ravi Dewangan (Pegasus Mortgage) 21–17, 21–15.

Karthik Eeswaran (Infosys) edged past Sridhar Ketireddi (Wells Fargo) 21–19, 21–13.

One of the closest contests of the round came when Ritwik Venkatesh (Oracle) was pushed the distance by Chinmay Nayak (PwC) before sealing it 21–19, 19–21, 21–18.

Quarterfinals: Momentum Swings Everywhere

The last eight saw pressure rise sharply.

Nikhil Ramesh survived a tough test from Rahul Raghavan, winning 21–15, 16–21, 21–12.

Karthik Eeswaran continued his strong run, beating Bharadwaj Chowdary 21–13, 21–15.

Nikhil Jhamb (Accenture) ended Suhas Naidu’s (Morgan Stanley) campaign in straight sets, 21–16, 21–11.

Alpesh Goyal (Qualcomm) produced a composed performance to defeat Ritwik Venkatesh 21–14, 21–16.

Semifinals: Experience Under Fire

The semifinals brought two contrasting narratives.

Nikhil Ramesh recovered after losing the opening set 9–21 to Karthik Eeswaran, turning the match around 21–15, 21–10.

Alpesh Goyal held his nerve in a tense battle against Nikhil Jhamb, winning 19–21, 21–13, 21–18.

Final: Control When It Mattered

In the final, Nikhil Ramesh produced his most assured performance of the tournament, defeating Alpesh Goyal in straight sets 21–10, 21–19, closing out a category that demanded patience, adaptability, and mental strength.

A title earned not through dominance alone — but through survival.