Anuj Kale and Ian Lopes of India won the men's doubles title at the Zambia International 2025 badminton event held at the OYDC Zambia - Sports Development Centre in Lusaka.

Coming from 386th in the ranking, this 20-year-old pair played a tremendous game with great chemistry and precision as they outclassed fellow Indians Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Arjun Reddy Pochana, ranked 618th, in straight sets 21-9, 21-13 in just 26 minutes.

Kale-Lopes' Path to the Title

Zambia International Men’s Doubles: Indian Duo Kale, Lopes Bags Maiden Zambia International Men’s Doubles: Indian Duo Kale, Lopes Bags Maiden
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Kale and Lopes were in great form throughout the tournament, losing only one game on their way to the final. They did face a stern test in the quarterfinals, against Iranian duo Amirhossein Ajamlow and Nima Rostampourlagaldani, but bounced back quickly.

They outplayed the Zambian duo Ganlian Dong and Daqing Hu in straight games in the last four to seal their spot in the title clash. This was the first BWF title for both Indian shuttlers. This could be the sparkplug for India in the field of badminton.

Hemanth Gowda Reaches Maiden Final

According to the official Olympics report, Indian Hemanth Gowda performed well in the men's singles, reaching his maiden final in the BWF circuit. The fourth-seeded and 370th-ranked Indian defeated the Australian top seed Ephraim Stephen Sam in the semi-finals to prove his potential on the international circuit.

Gowda went down to UAE's Shashaank Sai Munnangi, ranked 517th in the world, in an entertaining three-game final, 21-11, 13-21, 12-21, in 44 minutes.

Women's Singles and Doubles Performance

India's women's singles campaign ended with Anvitha Vijay's quarter-final exit, while there was no Indian in the women's doubles draw. In mixed doubles, the pair of Kuldeep Kamal and Aheri Paul reached the semi-finals before losing, wrapping up India's participation in this meet.