13-year-old Tanvi stamps authority, wins Asian U-15 badminton title

New Delhi, August 25

India’s Tanvi Patri clinched the Under-15 girls’ singles title at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Junior Championships after she defeated Thi Thu Huyen Nguyen of Vietnam in straight games in the final in Chengdu, China, today.

The 13-year-old Patri, seeded No. 1, wrapped up the proceedings in just 34 minutes as she cruised to a 22-20 21-11 victory over her second-seeded opponent in the summit clash.

With the feat, Parti joins the likes of Samiya Imad Farooqui and Tasnim Mir, who had won the U-15 girls’ singles crown in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Such was Patri’s domination throughout the tournament that she didn’t drop a single game across five matches.

In the final, Patri was trailing 11-17 but kept her calm as Nguyen made a series of unforced errors. The Indian grabbed the opportunity with both hands to claim the first game.

Patri continued the winning momentum, dominating the second game from the start to eventually seal the match and clinch the gold medal.

India returned with two medals. Gnana Dattu had won the bronze medal in the U-17 boys’ singles event on Saturday. Three other Indian players made it to the quarterfinal stage.

‘Sindhu-like’ talent

The gold cemented Patri’s status as one of India’s most promising badminton prodigies. “I’m feeling good after winning the title,” Odisha’s Patri said.

“I had expected to win, and I’m happy I could do that. I’ve been training at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore for the last two years.”

Her parents, Rabinarayan Patri and Sailabala Panda, are software professionals who previously worked in China, where Patri first took up badminton. Patri began her badminton training under Chinese coach Jiang Yong Yi and won nine titles in China between 2017 and 2020. The family returned to India in 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vimal Kumar, director of the Padukone academy, sees great promise in Tanvi. He even drew comparisons to the early days of PV Sindhu, one of India’s most celebrated badminton players.

“She was about eight or nine when she moved to India and joined the academy in 2022,” said Vimal. “Patri reminds me of Sindhu when she was young. The ability to win matches at a young age is a good sign. She has a long way to go, and with her temperament, she has great potential,” he added.

Rabinarayan accompanies Patri to the academy. In November 2022, he drove 1,400km from Bengaluru to Balangir for Patri’s participation in the state sub-junior badminton tournament.

“She is ahead of her age group,” Vimal said. “In the last six months, she has won U-17 tournaments and defeated several senior players, including the current national championship finalist, Tanvi Sharma. If she improves her strength and continues to develop, she could be a strong contender at the 2028 or 2032 Olympics.” — PTI