Teenage Badminton Star Tanvi Sharma Wins First BWF World Tour Title
Tanvi Sharma Triumphs at Taipei Open
Indian badminton prodigy Tanvi Sharma secured her first BWF World Tour title by defeating Vietnam's sixth seed Thuy Linh Nguyen in straight sets during the women's singles final at the Taipei Open Super 300 tournament on Sunday.
The 17-year-old from Punjab, who was the runner-up at last year's US Open Super 300, showcased her skills by outplaying world No. 21 Nguyen with a score of 21-16, 21-16 in just 36 minutes.
"Winning this title makes me incredibly happy," Tanvi expressed, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the Taipei Open at 17 years and 222 days, surpassing the renowned Tai Tzu Ying.
"I didn’t anticipate winning a title, but I aimed to give my best. I approached each match step by step, and I performed well throughout the tournament," she added.
Under the guidance of PV Sindhu's former coach Park Tae-sang, Tanvi made history as the first Indian woman to win the Taipei Open singles title since Saina Nehwal's victory in 2008.
"I felt quite nervous, but I focused on playing my best game," Tanvi noted, having dropped only one game throughout the tournament.
"Competing in five matches was challenging, but I knew consistency was key. I plan to work harder for the Super 500 and 750 tournaments ahead," she stated.
Tanvi had previously faced Nguyen at the US Open, where she also emerged victorious. She started the final strong, taking an early 4-1 lead with clever drop shots that mimicked her smashes.
Nguyen struggled to read Tanvi's deceptive play and misjudged the drift, allowing Tanvi to extend her lead to 10-2 with a mix of sharp cross-court smashes and delicate touches.
Despite a brief lapse in focus that led to errors, Tanvi regained her composure and took a three-point lead into the mid-game interval, with her coach encouraging her to relax.
After the break, Tanvi found her rhythm again, using powerful smashes to pull ahead 15-9. Although she made some mistakes, she quickly regained control and closed the first game with a decisive cross-court smash.
In the second game, Nguyen initially took a 3-0 lead, but Tanvi soon leveled the score at 3-3 with a clever net shot and began to dominate the rallies.
Nguyen's inconsistency allowed Tanvi to build an 8-4 lead, but a few errors allowed Nguyen to narrow the gap to 7-8, prompting visible frustration from her coach. Two brilliant deceptive shots helped Tanvi reach an 11-8 lead at the interval.
Tanvi extended her lead to 15-10 and then 18-12, using her deceptive play to secure crucial points. At 19-12, she challenged a line call unsuccessfully but quickly earned seven match points with a powerful smash. Although she missed three match points, she ultimately converted the final one to claim her first BWF title.
In a touching moment, Tanvi placed her gold medal around coach Park Tae-sang's neck before they posed for photos together.
Tanvi is now the youngest finalist in the tournament's history, surpassing Korean doubles star Lee Yong Dae, who was 17 years and 287 days old when he reached the men's doubles final in 2006.
Previously, Tanvi made headlines as the first Indian to win two medals at a single World Junior Championships, earning silver in girls' singles and bronze in the mixed team event. She was also part of the Indian team that won the country's first gold medal at the Asian Team Championships.
A former world junior No. 1, Tanvi reached her first Super 300 final at the age of 16 during the 2025 US Open and was also a runner-up at the Odisha Masters Super 100 and Guwahati Masters Super 100.
Tanvi's rapid ascent in badminton is supported by her mother, Meena Sharma, a physical education teacher and former national volleyball player, who learned badminton to coach her daughter in Hoshiarpur.
Meena put Tanvi through rigorous 4 am training sessions before she moved to the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati to train under Park, who previously guided Sindhu to an Olympic bronze in Tokyo.