Tanvi Sharma settles for silver in World Junior final
Tanvi Sharma settles for silver in World Junior final
At 16, Tanvi Sharma reaches India's World Junior final but falls to Thailand's Anyapat Phichitpreechasak, earning silver, first Indian woman in 17 years to do so.
Tanvi Sharma, 16, fell short of becoming the World Junior champion as she was defeated by Thailand's Anyapat Phichitpreechasak in the women's singles final on Sunday. Sharma became the third Indian female shuttler to reach the tournament final, following former world No.1 Saina Nehwal and Aparna Popat, and India's first silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 17 years.
The final score was 7-15, 12-15 in favor of the second-seeded Thai player. The opening phase was tightly contested, with both players tied at 2-2 and 4-4 before Phichitpreechasak surged ahead with deceptive front-court returns to build a 10-5 lead. She sealed the first game when Tanvi's backhand went into the net. In the second, Tanvi began with a burst, taking a 6-1 lead through precise returns, but a sequence of net errors allowed Phichitpreechasak to close the gap to 5-7. Tanvi led 8-5 at the interval, yet the Thai leveled the score and then moved ahead 9-8, extending the advantage to 11-8 with crisp cross-court winners. Tanvi showed resilience with a net dribble at 9-13 and won a disputed point after a long rally, but Phichitpreechasak claimed three championship points and closed it out with a powerful smash on the next point.
The match, marked by its competitive exchanges, ended Phichitpreechasak’s dominance in the decider. In a nod to Indian junior history, Saina Nehwal had won gold in 2008 and silver in 2006 at the World Junior Championships, while Aparna Popat claimed silver in 1996. The silver for Tanvi underscores the depth of India's junior badminton program and sets the stage for future prospects on the world stage.
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