BWF Junior Championships: World junior no 1 Tanvi to face Anyapat for the top prize
The 16-year-old defeated China’s Liu Si Ya 15-11, 15-9 in just over 30 minutes to become only the third Indian female shuttler to reach the summit clash at the event, following in the footsteps of Aparna Popat and former world No.1 Saina Nehwal.
Tanvi Sharma in action against Liu Si Ya in the semi-final
GUWAHATI: Top seed Tanvi Sharma produced a commanding performance to storm into the girls’ singles final of the BWF World Junior Championships 2025 at the National Centre of Excellence here on Saturday.
The 16-year-old defeated China’s Liu Si Ya 15-11, 15-9 in just over 30 minutes to become only the third Indian female shuttler to reach the summit clash at the event, following in the footsteps of Aparna Popat and former world No.1 Saina Nehwal.
Tanvi will now face the second seed, Anyapat Phichitpreechasak of Thailand, who fought back from a game down to beat compatriot Yataweemin Ketklieng 10-15, 15-11, 15-5 in the other semi-final.
Assured of at least a silver — India’s first women’s singles medal at the World Juniors in 17 years — Tanvi began aggressively against Liu, who was the Asian Junior Championships silver medallist. The Indian dictated the tempo early, mixing crisp net play with quick flicks and sharp cross-court pushes to unsettle her opponent.
She led 7-3 in the opening game and maintained control even as Liu closed in at 8-7. Keeping the rallies short and precise, Tanvi closed out the first game in 13 minutes with a trademark cross-court smash.
The Indian carried her momentum into the second, racing to a 12-4 lead before a brief phase of unforced errors allowed Liu to close the gap. A down-the-line winner broke the Chinese player’s momentum, and Tanvi soon wrapped up the match as Liu pushed a forehand wide.
“I was feeling very comfortable today and happy with how I played,” Tanvi said after the match. “At 12-4 in the second game, I made a few mistakes, but my coach told me to play slightly inside the lines, and that worked.”
Tanvi, who has been training at the National Centre of Excellence for almost a year, will now aim to emulate Saina Nehwal’s 2008 title-winning run and claim India’s second-ever gold in the girls’ singles event.
Earlier in the day, top seed Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah of Indonesia battled past China’s Li Zhi Hang 14-16, 16-14, 15-12 in a tense boys’ singles semi-final lasting over an hour. Ubaidillah saved three match points in the second game before forcing a decider and relied on his trademark smashes to clinch the win.