Indian teen shuttler Tanvi Sharma earns praise from P.V. Sindhu after historic Taipei Open win
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India's Tanvi Sharma posing with her coach Park Tae-sang after winning the Taipei Open on Aug 2.
PHOTO: BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION
Teenage badminton player Tanvi Sharma of India earned praise from two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu after making history at the Taipei Open on Aug 2.
With a 21-16, 21-16 win over Vietnam’s world No. 25 Nguyen Thuy Linh at the Taipei Arena, 34th-ranked Sharma became the youngest champion in tournament history as she bagged her first title on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.
At just 17 years and 223 days old, she surpassed the previous record held by Chinese Taipei’s five-time winner Tai Tzu-ying, who claimed her first home title in 2012 aged 18 years and 109 days.
When told about this in a post-match interview with BWF, Sharma said with a smile: “Really? I wasn’t aware of that.
“It’s such an honour. Tai is my idol. I’m really, really happy to win this title.”
Sharma, who produced a composed performance that belied her age, also became the youngest player to bag a BWF World Tour title since Tomoka Miyazaki won the 2024 Orleans Masters at 17 years and 213 days.
In a post on X, Sindhu said she “couldn’t be prouder of” her countrywoman.
“I’ve been saying for years that Tanvi has all the ingredients to become a very special player. The talent, the stroke-making, the courage to take on the best, it’s all there,” said the 31-year-old former world champion.
“The only thing she needed was a little more stability and experience, and it’s been so lovely to watch that come together.
“This is just the beginning, Tanvi. Keep working, keep believing, and stay hungry. Indian badminton has a very bright future ahead of it with players like you. So proud of you.”
After winning the Super 300 tournament, Sharma intends to keep her feet on the ground.
“For now, I have to work harder to challenge at Super 500 and Super 750 tournaments,” she said. “I will stay patient and keep working so I can slowly make the step up and stay there.”
In the men’s singles final, Japan’s world No. 26 Yudai Okimoto defeated 73rd-ranked Yoo Tae-bin of South Korea 21-19, 21-12.
Okimoto and Yoo had respectively overcome local players Chou Tien-chen and Lin Chun-yi, the All England champion, in the semi-finals.
