Tanvi Sharma dazzles into BWF World Junior Championships 2025 final, sets sights on historic gold

Indian shuttler Tanvi Sharma secured her place in the final of the World Junior Championships 2025 in Guwahati on Saturday. She earned her spot in the gold medal match by defeating China's Liu Si Ya in the semi-finals with scores of 15-11 and 15-9.

Tanvi Sharma in BWF World Junior Championships final

By reaching the women's singles final, Tanvi has joined a prestigious list of Indian shuttlers. Before her, only two other Indians had achieved this feat: Aparna Popat in 1996, and Saina Nehwal, who made the final twice in 2006 and 2008.

ALSO READ: 'My favorite wicket in Champions Trophy was Kohli': Bangladesh's star reveals why Virat's dismissal meant the most to him

Popat won a silver medal, while Nehwal claimed silver in 2006 before winning the gold in 2008. Overall, Tanvi is the fifth Indian player to reach the final of the BWF World Junior Championships, following Popat, Nehwal, Siril Verma (2015), and Sankar Muthuswamy (2002).The top-seeded, 16-year-old Tanvi, who also won a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships earlier this year, will face Anyapat Phichitpreechasak of Thailand in the final. Phichitpreechasak earned her final berth by defeating her compatriot Yataweemin Ketklieng in a three-game battle: 10-15, 15-11, 15-5.

Tanvi to face Phichitpreechasak in gold medal clash

Meanwhile, India's hopes for another medal in the women's singles were dashed when eighth seed Unnati Hooda was eliminated in the quarter-finals on Friday by the eventual finalist, Phichitpreechasak.

A day after securing a demanding, 47-minute come-from-behind victory against Japan's Saki Matsumoto, the top-seeded Indian, Tanvi Sharma, made quick work of her semi-final opponent. She needed just 31 minutes to decisively defeat the Asian Junior Championships silver medallist, Liu Si Ya.This dominant performance was a marked shift in strategy.

ALSO READ: 'I go and ask him and...': Shubman Gill breaks silence on speculations around his rift with Rohit Sharma ahead of Australia series

Tanvi's Korean coach, Park Tae-seng, who trains Indian juniors at the National Centre of Excellence (NCE), had specifically noted that she had underutilized her key weapon, her smashes, during the tough match against Matsumoto.Taking her coach's advice, Tanvi effectively wreaked havoc with her powerful smashes against Liu. She began her assault with a cross-court winner early in the opening game at 2-3, before firing one down the line at 4-3, and then unleashing another cross-court smash to reach 6-3. The Chinese player struggled not only against the power but also against Tanvi's varied attack, which included multiple sharp drop shots and effective net kills. Though Tanvi briefly lost focus in the second game, netting a relatively simple shot at 12-4 and conceding a few errors, she quickly regained control. She got back on track by delivering another smash down the line at 12-8 and soon generated five match points, closing out the match with confidence.