India Open 2026: 17-year-old Tanvi pushes WR2 Wang to the brink to make statement
When she walked out for her opening match at New Delhi’s India Open badminton tournament, Tanvi Sharma’s eyes might have lit up. Just next to the court she was going to play on was PV Sindhu.
This was a complete fangirl moment for the recently-turned 17-year-old. “I love Sindhu didi’s game. It was special to me playing the side court of Sindhu didi,” she’d gush later .
A sweet moment but most would have expected this to be the high point of the day for Tanvi.
She’s shown a few glimpses of potential on the international circuit last year – even making the final of the US Open. Still, she’s still only in class 11, with her bob cut hair making her look even younger. She still carries her books with her when she plays tournaments. Tanvi only got into the main draw at the World Tour 750 event after third seed Akane Yamaguchi had pulled out.
Across the net, with a red bandana around her forehead, looking to wrap things up quickly, was China’s World number 2 Wang Zhi Yi – confident of extending the form that had seen her reach 12 World Tour finals last year.
But twenty minutes later, it was Tanvi’s match that spectators were taking note of.
It was she who was on the verge of taking the opening game. As she held the shuttle with the fingers of her left hand, the digital score read 20-19 to the Indian.
She served and then began to work her opponent across the court as she had all through that first game. She mixed up perfectly measured blocks, expertly weighted drops from the back of the court and cleverly disguised net play to go with her powerful drives.
When she spotted a clear shot that didn’t seem strong enough, Tanvi pounced on the opportunity and uncorked an over-the-head down-the-line smash to Wang’s forehand. It was an audacious shot even if it didn’t come off. The attempted winner went just wide and Tanvi threw her head wide in disappointment.
Wang would dig deep and win the next two points to take the first game. Any expectations that the Indian’s will was broken and that the Chinese player would run away with the remainder of the match would prove to be unfounded though.
Against all odds, Tanvi continued to fight through the remainder of the match, even managing to take the second game 21-18 before she finally ran out of steam to lose in three games with the final score reading 20-22, 21-18, 13-21.
There are some losses that tell a bigger story than some wins.
Tanvi’s was just one of those.
With the match over, there were plenty of ‘what if’s’. Most particularly was wondering just what might have happened had she taken that opening game. Just what if she had waited for a clearer chance?
The fact that she hadn’t might not have paid off today but that she went for the kill gives a hint of just what makes her special. She wasn’t thinking about the magnitude of what she was on the verge of accomplishing or who she was playing against. Tanvi’s mindset was simple. See shuttle, go for the shot.
“Yeah, I think if I could have won the first game, I would have won the second game and the match too. But I wasn’t thinking of winning the match (Before the match). I was just thinking I’ll give it my 100 per cent,” she says.
Tanvi has set herself a target of making the top 20 rankings this and also qualify for the Asian Games and World Championships.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Tanvi has set herself a target of making the top 20 rankings this and also qualify for the Asian Games and World Championships.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It was that pugnaciousness that left Wang stunned in the second game, where she was playing from the side where the drift was working in her favour. The Indian might be a fan of Sindhu but she is a huge admirer of Taiwan’s shotmaking genius Tai Tzu Ying – whose picture she has as her phone wallpaper. There was plenty of Tai Tzu Ying on display in her deception and shot making too. She was going for every shot, most of them seemed to be coming off.
She exceeded Wang at the front of the court. Her cross court net shots in particular left both the crowd and her opponent stunned.
However at the end of the day, Tanvi was just 17 and as the match wore on, it began to show as she steadily grew more ragged and her power started to drop, especially from the back of the court. Sitting in her corner, coach Park Tae-Sung, who has previously worked with Sindhu, tried to keep the youngster focussed. “He was telling me to keep it inside but I was hitting a lot outside,” she admits.
She managed to find a surge late in the second game to force a decider, celebrating the moment with a fist pump. But it came at a cost. Exhaustion had set in. By the third game, Tanvi was running on fumes. She didn’t have enough to get over the line this time, but few will believe this is the last they’ve seen of her.
She knows there are things she has to work on. “I have to work on my endurance,” she admits. Things like that will improve –simply by virtue of getting older. Her mindset though is clearly built for the elite level and that’s where she feels she belongs. With the World Championships being held in India in August this year, Tanvi might well get another chance to impress this year at the same venue.
“I think I have a target of top 25 this year, top 20. I also want to qualify for the Asian Games. The World Championships are also in India so I’ll try to qualify for that as well,” she says.
Published on Jan 14, 2026