TANVI Patri moved within one win of a historic gold medal after becoming the first Indian badminton player to reach the women’s singles final of the Youth Olympic Games here. The 15-year-old from Odisha continued her impressive run, stunning Japan’s second seed Yuzuno Watanabe 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 in a hard-fought 54-minute semifinal to book her place in the title clash. Tanvi had earlier scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semi-finals, defeating Thailand’s Kungkaew Kakanik. She now has a chance to cap her memorable campaign with gold when she takes on China’s Yi Xin Zhang, the reigning World Junior Championships champion, in the final. The two players have met only once before, in the quarter-finals of the Asia Junior Championships earlier this year, where Tanvi went down 18-21, 16-21 in a closely fought contest.

 

The semi-final against Watanabe was a test of nerves, with neither player willing to give an inch. Tanvi seized control early to take the opening game 21-14, but the Japanese shuttler hit back strongly, taking the second 21-11 to force a decider. The final game was equally tense, with the two shuttlers locked in a see-saw battle. Tanvi, however, held her nerve when it mattered the most, edging Watanabe 21- 19 to seal a memorable victory. Tanvi’s achievement adds another chapter to India’s growing presence in the competition. HS Prannoy won silver at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010, while Lakshya Sen finished runner-up in Buenos Aires in 2018.