Indian shuttler Tanvi Sharma’s bid for gold at the BWF World Junior Championships ended when she lost to Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak in the women’s singles final on Sunday.Sixteen-year-old Tanvi became the third Indian shuttler to reach the finals of the tournament after former world number one Saina Nehwal and Aparna Popat. She lost to the second-seeded Thai 7-15 12-15.Tanvi secured India’s first silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 17 years. Previously, only Saina won gold in 2008 and silver in 2006, while Aparna won silver in 1996.The match started competitively tied at 2-2 and then 4-4, with unforced errors on both sides.Phichitpreechasak’s deceptive returns on the front court helped her build a 10-5 lead. The Thai player clinched the first game when Tanvia’s backhand hit the net.In the second game, Tanvi started strongly with a 6-1 lead through accurate deep returns. However, errors at the net allowed the Thai player to close the gap to 5-7.Despite holding an 8-5 lead by then, Tanvi faced mounting pressure as Phichitpreechasak leveled the score and then took a 9-8 lead.The Thai player extended her advantage to 11-8 with well-constructed points and maintained control with sharp back-and-forth winners.At 9:13, Tanvi showed resilience with a deft dribble to the net. After a long exchange, she won a contested point but sent another shot wide to give her opponent three championship points.Despite hitting one wide, Phichitpreechasak secured the title with a powerful smash on the next point.
