World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma and Manraj Singh produced stunning upsets at the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament, knocking out former world champion Nozomi Okuhara and HS Prannoy, respectively, to reach the quarterfinals here on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Tanvi, who had reached the US Open Super 300 final earlier this year, fought back brilliantly to shock second seed Okuhara 13-21 21-16 21-19 in a 59-minute thriller.
"It has been a great year for me. I was on a break due to an ankle injury. I never thought I will beat Okuhara, just wanted to give my best," Tanvi told reporters. She said her turnaround came after a quick reset mid-match.
"I did many unforced errors in the first game. My coach told me to just leave thinking about winning or losing, and play my game. Playing against a former world champion like Okuhara can be tiring, so I was exhausted, but I kept myself calm and focused on rallies. I was not under any pressure. I had to be ready for the long rallies." Looking ahead, she said she is preparing for tougher competitions and a tighter schedule.
"After this event, I will play Guwahati and Odisha Masters. There will be pressure now, but I have to keep myself calm and prepared. I meditate after matches. Now it is only going to be more difficult as I play Super 500s and higher events, so I have to be ready. I also study for two hours, so I manage it. I still have to improve a lot," said Tanvi.
Manraj, 19, then added to the day’s surprises with a commanding 21-15 21-18 win over Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, in just 43 minutes. "He is an experienced player and I am happy that I could beat him. I was just looking to give my best. I went with my strong point, which is attack, so wanted to attack more. This is one of my best days and I am confident I can play well in future as well," Manraj said.
Reflecting on his journey, Manraj, who will also play at Guwahati and Odisha Masters, said, "I started playing in 2013 in Faridabad. My brother and I used to watch my father play, and from there the interest grew. Two years ago, I joined the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where I train under Sagar Chopda. There are some top-level players here, so sparring is good, facilities are good. This is my third Super 300. I played at Taipei Open and Macau Open before. I just want to give my best game.”
Top seed Unnati Hooda too booked her place in the last-eight with a commanding 21-15 21-10 win over Tasnim Mir, while Mithun Manjunath outlasted sixth seed Tharun Mannepalli 21-16 17-21 21-17 in another all-Indian second-round contest.
Unnati will face seventh seed Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj, who edged past Devika Sihag 16-21 21-19 21-17, while Mithun is set to take on Manraj, who had won Uganda International Challenge and Iran Fajr International Challenge earlier this year, in the quarterfinals.
Former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist, brushed aside Saneeth Dayanand 21-6 21-16 to set up a quarterfinal clash with a fit-again Priyanshu Rajawat, who overcame BM Rahul Bharadwaj 21-16 10-21 21-12 in a hard-fought encounter.
Kiran George, Alap Mishra and Siddharth Gupta, however, bowed out after losing their respective second-round matches.
Also read: Tanvi Sharma clinches Silver at BWF World Junior Championship
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