Ranithma liyanage

BWF World Junior Championships: Tanvi Sharma became the first Indian female player to be assured of a 2025 BWF World Junior Championships medal in 17 years when she fought back from a game down to beat Japan’s Saki Matsumoto and reach the girls' singles semifinals at the National Centre of Excellence here on Friday.

The 16-year-old kept her nerves under pressure and found winners with her cross-court slice hits to beat Matsumoto 13-15, 15-9, 15-10 in a 47-minute quarterfinal clash that kept the spectators on edge.

The last Indian female player to win a world junior medal was Saina Nehwal, who bagged the gold medal in the 2008 edition in Pune. Saina, who had also won a silver medal in 2006 and Aparna Popat (1996 silver) are the only other Indian female players to stand on the podium in the history of the competition.