When Sanskar Saraswat lifted the men’s singles title at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 earlier this season, the headline numbers told only part of the story.
A 19-year-old qualifier, ranked outside the world’s top 350 at the start of the week, beating opponents ranked 44, 76, 107 and 188 to claim his maiden BWF World Tour title is, on the surface, a fairytale run. But spend time listening to Sanskar, and the picture that emerges is less about sudden explosion and more about patience, resilience and quiet self-belief forged through setbacks .
Sanskar speaks without theatrics. There is no attempt to dramatize the week that changed his career trajectory, no exaggerated sense of arrival. Instead, he frames the Guwahati Masters as a logical outcome of preparation finally aligning with opportunity. “When I beat Rounak Chauhan in the qualifiers, that’s when I started believing,” he says.
“He was playing very well throughout the year. After that match, I felt I could do much better in this tournament.”
That win, in the third set, became the pivot point. The draw, Sanskar felt, opened up. The pressure eased. The focus narrowed. “Only two or three players were really tough,” he explains. “After that win, I just thought about playing better each round and getting points for my ranking.”
The final, against Mithun Manjunath, was both a test and a confirmation. Mithun, a seasoned campaigner who had been knocking on the door for years, brought experience and tactical awareness. Sanskar, playing his first Super 100 final, brought freedom. “I didn’t have any pressure,” he says. “I’m a junior, playing my first Super 100 final. I took advantage of that.”
Preparation played its role. Sanskar had faced Mithun once before, at the Nationals, and knew his patterns around the net and attack. His coaches had done their homework too. The plan was clear, and Sanskar stuck to it. “That day, my attacking game worked,” he recalls. “So I played the same pattern from the first set till the last.”
The numbers from that week remain striking. Ranked 384 at the start, Sanskar defeated a succession of higher-ranked opponents in quick succession, a feat that demands more than just good form. Yet he is quick to contextualize it. The year leading into Guwahati had been difficult. Injuries three of them disrupted rhythm, confidence and continuity. An international stint on the European circuit yielded little in terms of results, leaving him short on belief even as his work ethic remained intact.
“I wasn’t confident because of back-to-back injuries,” he admits. “I didn’t perform that well the whole year.” What changed before Guwahati was not technique, but time a full month of uninterrupted training. Morning sessions, evening sessions, no compromises. “I trained 100 per cent,” Sanskar says. “I just wanted to give my best in this tournament. That was my mindset.”
That clarity of intent extended beyond tactics into mental approach. Sanskar speaks repeatedly about taking things “round by round”, a phrase often overused in sport but, in his case, genuinely lived. “I prepared myself mentally for every round,” he explains. “That I can win better matches.”
It is perhaps no surprise then that milestones and statistics barely register for him. Becoming the second youngest Indian after Lakshya Sen to win a Super 100 title was not something he tracked. “I didn’t focus on that at all,” he says. “It feels good to hear, but in badminton, you can’t get satisfaction from anything. You can enjoy it for one or two days, then you have to train again.”
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That mindset has been shaped by early exposure to the senior circuit. Sanskar’s junior career was largely domestic, with limited international outings. The step up, he says, was stark. “In senior badminton, you’re playing 25 or 27-year-olds,” he explains. “They are very experienced. Physically, everyone is fit. So the main difference is mental fitness.”
It is a recurring theme in his assessment of the modern game. “Badminton right now is very mental,” Sanskar says simply. “The one who is mentally fit, he can succeed.”
Support structures have helped him navigate that transition. Since January this year, Sanskar has been part of the Reliance Foundation programme, joining soon after winning the National Championship. The timing, he feels, was crucial. Injuries could have derailed his season entirely, but access to physios, nutritionists and structured rehabilitation made the difference. “They take great care,” he says. “From diet to rehab to training after injury it’s all planned. It’s 10 on 10.”
Technically, Sanskar sees himself as an attacking player, particularly strong around the net and in creating opportunities to go on the offensive. But he is equally clear-eyed about his limitations. “I need to improve my rally game,” he admits. “Sometimes I make silly errors. At a high level, that’s not acceptable.” His current focus, he says, is on sustaining attacks within long rallies, not just finishing points quickly.
The broader context of Indian men’s singles makes Sanskar’s breakthrough even more relevant. In a season where overall results have been inconsistent, only four Indians Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kiran George and Sanskar managed to win BWF Tour titles. Sanskar sees this not as pressure, but as encouragement. “Lakshya is a very good senior,” he says. “They always tell me you can’t judge yourself by one tournament.”
Winning the Guwahati Super 100, he admits, was unexpected. It was also his first international medal at senior level. “I’m super happy,” he says, allowing himself a brief smile in his words. “I didn’t think I would win this tournament. I was just playing round by round.”
The Plan for the Future
The result has pushed his ranking close to the top 200 around 205 at last count and with it, clearer pathways ahead. Sanskar’s plan is methodical: build points through Challenge tournaments, then step into Super 100s and eventually Super 300s. “First, I want to get near 100,” he says. “Then it becomes easier.”
The journey, like the mindset, is rooted in modest beginnings. Sanskar’s introduction to badminton came through his father, a player and coach. What began as a way to pass time gradually became purpose. “I started at seven, just for fun,” he recalls. Watching his father train others, sweat through sessions, stirred something deeper. District-level success followed, then ambition. “That’s when my proper badminton started,” he says.
At 19, Sanskar Saraswat remains very much a work in progress. There is no rush in his words, no talk of destiny or inevitability. What stands out instead is balance between ambition and patience, attack and control, belief and realism. The Super 100 title has announced his arrival, but the way he speaks suggests he already understands the harder part lies ahead: staying there.
In Indian badminton, breakthroughs are often celebrated loudly. Sanskar’s has been quieter, built on recovery, discipline and clarity. That, perhaps, is what makes it worth watching.
