Can Tanvi Sharma Upset Nozomi Okuhara at Syed Modi International?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Tanvi Sharma achieves a career-defining victory.
- Impressive performances by Isharani Baruah and Unnati Hooda.
- Surprising upsets in both men's and women's singles.
- Top doubles teams continue to perform well.
- A bright future for Indian badminton is evident through these young talents.
Lucknow, Nov 27 (NationPress) The remarkable 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma stole the spotlight on Day 3 of the Syed Modi International 2025 with a breathtaking win, stunning former World No. 1, world champion, and Olympic medalist Nozomi Okuhara in an exhilarating three-game showdown.
The World Juniors silver medalist exhibited incredible resilience, coming back from a game down to secure an unforgettable victory of 13-21, 21-16, 21-19 in just under an hour—marking the most significant achievement of her young career and earning her a spot in the quarterfinals.
The surprises didn't end there. Isharani Baruah also delivered a strong performance, defeating eighth seed Polina Buhrova from Ukraine with scores of 21-15, 21-8. The top seed Unnati Hooda advanced smoothly with a 21-15, 21-10 win against Tasnim Mir, while Rakshitha Sree overcame Devika Sihag in a nail-biting contest, 16-21, 21-19, 21-17.
In men’s singles, Day 3 revealed further surprises as Manraj Singh triumphed over third seed HS Prannoy with scores of 21-15, 21-18. Mithun Manjunath narrowly edged out sixth seed Tharun Mannepalli in a thrilling match, ending with 21-16, 17-21, 21-7, while former champion Kidambi Srikanth smoothly defeated Saneeth Dayanand with scores of 21-6, 21-16.
The top women's doubles duo, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, continued their impressive journey by winning 21-17, 21-12 against Zenith Abbigail and Likhita Srivastava. Jolly also paired with Hariharan Amsakarunan to eliminate the second seeds Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde with a scoreline of 24-22, 21-15 in mixed doubles.
In men’s doubles, Hariharan and MR Arjun secured their place in the quarterfinals confidently, winning 21-12, 21-18 against Malaysia’s Lau Yi Sheng and Lim Tze Jian.
Earlier on Wednesday, top seeds Unnati Hooda and Jason Teh kicked off their campaigns with impressive straight-game victories. Former champion Kidambi Srikanth also advanced, defeating compatriot Kavin Thangam with a score of 21-13, 21-10, as he aims for another deep run in Lucknow.