Taipei: Seventeen-year-old Indian shuttler Tanvi Sharma created history on Sunday by winning her maiden BWF World Tour Super 300 title at the Taipei Open, becoming the youngest player across any category to lift the prestigious trophy.

Tanvi defeated Vietnam’s sixth seed Nguyen Thuy Linh 21-16, 21-16 in the women’s singles final to script a memorable victory and join an elite list of Indian badminton players.

Tanvi Ends India’s 17-Year Title Wait

With this win, Tanvi became only the second Indian women’s singles player after Saina Nehwal (2008) to win the Taipei Open title.

The victory ended India’s 17-year wait for a title at the event and marked the country’s third overall triumph since the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju won during the tournament’s Grand Prix Gold era in 2009.

Dominant Performance in Final

Tanvi started the opening game strongly, racing to a 10-2 lead. Although Nguyen fought back to reduce the gap to 10-8, the Indian youngster maintained control and comfortably won the game 21-16.

In the second game, Tanvi initially trailed 0-3 but quickly recovered to take the lead. She displayed an attacking style, using sharp cross-court shots and accurate placements to keep pressure on her opponent.

She eventually sealed the second game 21-16, finishing the match in just 36 minutes with a brilliant cross-court drop shot.

Tanvi Joins Elite Indian Badminton Group

Following her historic win, Tanvi became only the fourth Indian women’s singles player to win a BWF Super 300 or higher-level title, joining the elite group of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Devika Sihag.

She also became the third-youngest player in the world to win a BWF Super 300 event.

Reflecting on her achievement, Tanvi said she was delighted with the victory and focused on giving her best match by match throughout the tournament.

“I’m really happy to win this title. Going step by step and match by match, I just wanted to give my best here and felt I played really well throughout the tournament.”

Youngest Finalist and Champion Record

This was only the second BWF World Tour title match of Tanvi’s young career, coming slightly over a year after she finished runner-up at the US Open.

At 17 years and 222 days, Tanvi also became the youngest finalist in Taipei Open history, surpassing Korean doubles legend Lee Yong Dae, who reached the men’s doubles final at the age of 17 years and 287 days in 2006.

Her historic triumph marks another major milestone for Indian badminton and highlights the emergence of a new young star on the global stage.