World Junior Championships: Tanvi seals maiden medal, Hooda misses out

However, a string of unforced errors, including a judgement misstep at the baseline and two consecutive net errors, allowed Matsumoto to edge ahead 11-10.Though Tanvi managed to break the momentum briefly with a smash, a wide return handed the Japanese the opening game.In the second game, the Indian regrouped well after a 5-5 start, asserting her dominance with sharp placements and aggressive play to take the match into the decider.The third game saw Matsumoto taking an early 7-3 lead, but Tanvi staged a remarkable comeback to turn the tables at 11-9.

Top seed Tanvi Sharma assured India of a medal at the BWF World Junior Championships after advancing to the women's singles semifinals with a thrilling three-game win over Japan's Saki Matsumoto here on Friday.

The 16-year-old Sharma, who was a finalist at the US Open Super 300 earlier this year, recovered from a game down to beat left-handed Matsumoto 13-15, 15-9, 15-10 in a hard-fought quarterfinal contest.

However, eighth seed Unnati Hooda, the youngest Indian to win a Super 100 title at the 2022 Odisha Open and a member of India's 2022 Uber Cup squad, bowed out after going down 12-15, 13-15 to second seed Anyapat Phichitphon of Thailand in a 32-minute quarterfinal, missing out on a medal.

India's mixed doubles pair of Bhavya Chhabra and Vishakha Toppo also ended their campaign in the last-eight stage, losing 9-15, 7-15 to the Chinese Taipei duo of Hung Bing Fu and Chou Yun An.

In her quarterfinal, Tanvi started strong in the opening game, establishing a 10-6 lead. However, a string of unforced errors, including a judgement misstep at the baseline and two consecutive net errors, allowed Matsumoto to edge ahead 11-10.

Though Tanvi managed to break the momentum briefly with a smash, a wide return handed the Japanese the opening game.

In the second game, the Indian regrouped well after a 5-5 start, asserting her dominance with sharp placements and aggressive play to take the match into the decider.

The third game saw Matsumoto taking an early 7-3 lead, but Tanvi staged a remarkable comeback to turn the tables at 11-9. She then reeled off the remaining points with clinical precision to book her place in the semifinals.

In another quarterfinal, Hooda trailed 5-10 in the opening game against Anyapat but closed the gap to 10-11. However, a couple of net errors and a wide shot proved costly as the Thai sealed the game 15-12.

After the change of ends, Hooda fought back from 2-4 to level at 4-4. The second game turned into a neck-and-neck battle, with scores tied at 7-7 and 8-8. However, cross-court smashes from the Thai troubled Hooda, who also faltered at the net to fall behind again.

Anyapat moved to 13-10 with a well-constructed rally and, after squandering three match points, sealed the win with a powerful smash to confirm her semifinal berth.

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