Taipei Open: 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma ends India's 18-year title wait

Saina Nehwal had remained India's lone women's singles champion at the Taipei Open since 2008. On Sunday, Tanvi Sharma ensured that list finally had another name, defeating Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen 21-16, 21-16 to lift her maiden BWF World Tour Super 300 title.The victory was another significant step in the rapid rise of the 17-year-old, who has quietly established herself as one of India's brightest badminton prospects over the past two seasons. After falling short in the US Open Super 300 final last year, Tanvi made sure there would be no repeat this time.The Punjab shuttler arrived in Taipei carrying the confidence of a string of impressive performances on the junior and senior circuits. A former world junior No. 1, she became the first Indian to win two medals at a single edition of the World Junior Championships and was also part of the team that secured India's maiden Asian Team Championships gold.Coached by Park Tae-sang, the former mentor of two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, Tanvi has steadily developed into one of the most exciting young players on the BWF Tour. Sunday offered the biggest opportunity of her career so far, and she grabbed it with both hands.TANVI STAYS COMPOSEDThe final lasted only 36 minutes, but Tanvi was in control for most of it.She raced into an early lead with clever deception at the net and powerful cross-court smashes that repeatedly caught Nguyen off guard. Although a brief spell of unforced errors allowed the Vietnamese sixth seed to narrow the gap, the Indian quickly regained her rhythm to take the opening game 21-16.Nguyen began the second game more aggressively and opened a 3-0 lead, but Tanvi never looked rattled. She patiently worked her way back into the rallies, mixed delicate net shots with steep attacking strokes and gradually pulled away before sealing the match in straight games.One of the most memorable moments came after the medal ceremony when Tanvi removed the gold medal from around her neck and placed it around Park Tae-sang's instead, thanking the coach who has guided her rise.For a teenager still at the beginning of her journey, Taipei may not be the biggest title she wins. It is, however, the one that announced she is ready to follow in the footsteps of the champions who came before her.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 2, 2026 11:45 IST