Tanvi Sharma grew to become the primary Indian in 17 years to win a medal on the BWF World Junior Championships, staging a comeback from a recreation right down to defeat Japan’s Saki Matsumoto and attain the ladies’ singles semifinals on Friday.
At simply 16, Tanvi displayed outstanding composure underneath strain, executing exact cross-court slice pictures and discovering winners to edge previous Matsumoto 13-15, 15-9, 15-10 in an exciting 47-minute quarterfinal that stored followers on the Nationwide Heart of Excellence on the sting of their seats.
Earlier than Tanvi, the final Indian girl to earn a medal on the World Junior Championships was Saina Nehwal, who claimed gold in Pune in 2008. Nehwal had additionally gained silver in 2006, whereas Aparna Popat’s 1996 silver stays one other uncommon podium end for an Indian feminine within the match’s historical past.
Tanvi will subsequent face China’s Liu Si Ya for a spot within the ultimate. Reflecting on her quarterfinal win, the teen mentioned she needed to play aggressively to counter Matsumoto’s technique of slowing down the tempo of the sport.
“It’s troublesome to play towards Matsumoto as she slows down the sport. So, I knew that I needed to be aggressive. I’m glad that I’m assured of a medal,” Tanvi was quoted as saying.
Tanvi Sharma makes beautiful comeback
Prime seed Tanvi acquired off to a powerful begin, constructing a 10-6 lead early on. Nevertheless, a sudden collection of unforced errors let Matsumoto streak by way of seven consecutive factors, flipping the momentum and taking the primary recreation.
Within the second recreation, Tanvi discovered her rhythm once more, utilizing exact shot choice to dominate and safe a 15-9 win. The third recreation started nervously for her, as early errors noticed her trailing 5-8 on the change of ends.
Undeterred, Tanvi regrouped, successful 4 factors in a row to edge forward 9-8. She then outsmarted Matsumoto with intelligent flat tosses and cross-court smashes, finally sealing a historic triumph.
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