Tanvi Patri rallies past Shaina Manimuthu to win U17 Asian junior title

Chengdu (China), Sep 13 (PTI) Fifteen-year-old Tanvi Patri rallied past compatriot Shaina Manimuthu to win the girls' singles U17 title at the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships here on Sunday.

The second-seeded Patri recovered from losing the opening game to beat sixth seed Manimuthu 11-15, 15-10, 15-12 in an all-Indian final.

The Odisha shuttler's victory added another continental title to her collection, having won the U15 Asian crown in 2024. She had also claimed her first international title at the Pontianak International Challenge and won the All India Junior U19 Badminton Ranking Tournament in Bengaluru earlier this year.

Patri received a first-round bye before being pushed hard by China's Zhou Jing Li, eventually prevailing 18-16, 12-15, 15-13.

She then defeated Japan's Shizuku Kashio 15-9, 15-12 before producing a dominant 15-8, 15-8 win over China's Lin Heng Men in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Patri again held her nerve in a tight deciding game to beat China's Yu Ying Gui 15-9, 11-15, 15-11 and book her place in the title clash.

Manimuthu, meanwhile, matched her compatriot's run to reach the final and set up a rematch of the Bengaluru final.

The sixth seed secured a strong quarterfinal win over Japan's Yui Itabashi before overcoming another Japanese player, Anon Okimoto, 15-13, 15-12 in the semifinals.

Patri's triumph ensured that India retained the U17 girls' singles crown for a second successive year, following Diksha Sudhakar's title-winning performance in 2025.

Manimuthu, who won the U15 Asian title last year, had to settle for a silver medal.

India also secured a bronze in the U15 boys' doubles, with Aaditya Singh Negi and Tanmay Verma making the semifinals.

The Indian pair lost 5-15, 10-15 to Chinese Taipei's Bo Lin Ho and Jui En Hou in the last four on Saturday.