BWF World Junior Championships: Tanvi Sharma opens up on her overall campaign

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Tanvi Sharma’s bid to script history by winning a gold medal at the BWF World Junior Championships ended in heartbreak as she lost in straight games to Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak in the women’s singles final here on Sunday.

Tanvi, 16, who became only the third Indian female shuttler — after Saina Nehwal and Aparna Popat — to reach the final of the tournament, lost 7-15, 12-15 to her second-seeded opponent.

Tanvi thus signed off with a silver medal — India’s first at the World Junior Championships in 17 years.

“I was very, very happy with the silver medal but a little disappointed that I didn’t get the gold,” Tanvi said.

“It means a lot to me because before this tournament, I didn’t even expect a medal. I wasn’t in good form, but as the matches went on, I started playing my game and I was playing really well.”

Despite her strong showing through the week, Tanvi admitted that her loss in the final was a lesson in physical and tactical resilience.

“My coach always tells me to stay inside the game, play rallies, and focus on getting points through consistency. But sometimes I make small mistakes — like one-stroke errors — that cost me. I need to work on my net play and my endurance on court. That’s something I’ll really focus on,” she added.

In the first set, the Thai’s deceptive returns caught Tanvi out as she opened up a 10-5 lead.

Two smashes from the Thai and a wide shot from Tanvi put Phichitpreechasak two points away from taking the opening game, which she eventually sealed when another backhand from the Indian buried into the net.

After the change of ends, Tanvi surged to a 6-1 lead. But errors crept in again as Phichitpreechasak levelled the score at 8-8. Phichitpreechasak then picked up four points on the trot before Tanvi broke the streak at 12-9. However, the Thai continued her dominance and sealed the title moments later with a poweful smash.

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