Hoshiarpur’s Tanvi is Junior World No. 1 in badminton

Punjab’s golden girl Tanvi Sharma has become the Junior World No. 1 in badminton after a sensational performance that sent ripples through the international badminton circuit.

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Tanvi, 16, from Hoshiarpur finished runner-up at the BWF Super 300 US Open 2025 in the women’s singles category. Tanvi’s stunning performance at the US Open marks a significant milestone in her budding career as ranked World No. 66, the young shuttler has become Junior World no.1 and has taken a leap among top 50 in world badminton rankings.

She had stunned the global badminton community with her fearless campaign at BWF Super 300, taking down several higher ranked opponents, including World No. 23, to reach the final. Overwhelmed by her success, her mother and coach Meena Sharma said this is the most happiest moment and she has no words to express her happiness.

In the championship clash held in California, Tanvi went down fighting a hard-fought three-game battle against tournament top seed and Olympian Beiwen Zhang of the United States. After losing the opening game 11-21, the teenager showcased exceptional grit and skill to take the second game 21-16, pushing the contest into a thrilling decider. Despite her best efforts, she lost the third game 10-21, settling for a well-earned silver medal.

She said she was a bit nervous on the court during the finals and made many mistakes which led her to lose the finals. She now targets to improve on these working on her errors and aims for the medal in the upcoming Asian Juniors Championship next month. Tanvi will be taking a flight from the US tonight and land at Guwahati to join the Indian Badminton Team's camp there. The team would be participating in Asian Junior Championship at Indonesia next month.

Tanvi’s journey to this international podium has been nothing short of inspirational. She began playing badminton at the tender age of six. She trained for more than four years at the prestigious Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, where she honed her skills alongside some of India’s top shuttlers. Her mother, who also served as her coach, has been instrumental in shaping her game and nurturing her talent.

Tanvi's father Vikas Sharma, who works as a Superintendent at the ADC office in Hoshiarpur, expressed overwhelming joy and pride. “Tanvi has made us proud. Watching her take on world-class opponents with such confidence at just 16 is a moment of immense pride for our family and for India. I just talked to her over phone, she's very happy and so do we,” he said. For her achievement, he gave credit to Tanvi's mother.