The air at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati will crackle with history and hope as India’s top seed Tanvi Sharma faces Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak, the second seed, in the Girls’ Singles final of the BWF World Junior Championships 2025.
This isn’t just a clash of the tournament’s best it’s a duel between contrasting badminton ideologies. On one side stands the explosive aggression of Tanvi Sharma, the 16-year-old prodigy carrying India’s dreams of ending a 17-year gold medal drought.
On the other is the deceptive craft and tactical intelligence of 17-year-old Anyapat, a quintessential product of Thailand’s fabled technical school of badminton.
For India, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The last time the country celebrated a World Junior champion was in 2008, when Saina Nehwal won gold in Pune. Seventeen years later, another Indian girl finds herself on home soil with a shot at recreating history.
A Final for the Ages: Top Seeds Converge
In a tournament often defined by upsets, the 2025 edition has followed the script at the top: the final is exactly what the seeding predicted. Tanvi (1) and Anyapat (2) have both dominated their halves of the draw, reaffirming their status as the two most consistent and mentally disciplined juniors in the world.
The final will also serve as the ultimate test of the BWF’s experimental 3×15 scoring format a best-of-three setup that compresses pressure into every rally. The shorter games reward aggression, precision, and composure, forcing players to attack early and recover fast.
It’s a format that suits Tanvi’s power-packed style but also plays into Anyapat’s deceptive control of tempo. The match, scheduled for 1:40 PM IST, will be broadcast live on the BAI Media YouTube Channel.
Tanvi Sharma: India’s Aggressive Anchor
For 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma, this is more than just a tournament it’s the culmination of an entire ecosystem’s belief in her potential. Ranked World No. 1 in juniors and already No. 47 in seniors, she has spent the past year transitioning seamlessly between age groups, reaching the US Open Super 300 final and winning a bronze at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships.
Her rise has been methodical and micro-managed. Under Korean coach Park Tae-sang, Tanvi’s pre-tournament routine was famously regimented: restricted phone use after 9:30 PM, strict dietary supervision, and even controlled sleep cycles to optimize recovery. The idea was clear to build not just a shuttler, but a champion conditioned for pressure.
On court, Tanvi embodies aggression. Her forehand smashes and cross-court drops carry the same intensity once associated with Nehwal. Her semi-final win over China’s Liu Si Ya (15–11, 15–9) was a clinic in precision and control, a display of how she has evolved beyond raw power into tactical awareness.
But her quarter-final against Japan’s Saki Matsumoto revealed her vulnerability: after losing the first game and letting a 10–6 lead slip, she had to recalibrate mid-match, eventually winning 13–15, 15–9, 15–10. That turnaround highlighted both her mental resilience and the value of her coaching team’s intervention particularly the reminder to “play inside the lines,” reducing unforced errors in the high-risk 3×15 format.
Anyapat Phichitpreechasak: Thailand’s Next Great Tactician
If Tanvi represents power and precision, Anyapat Phichitpreechasak is the embodiment of patience and deception. Trained in the Thai system that produced world champion Ratchanok Intanon, she thrives on controlling tempo and disrupting rhythm.
Her semi-final against compatriot Yataweemin Ketklieng was a masterclass in composure. After losing the first game 10–15, Anyapat adjusted seamlessly, taking the next two 15–11, 15–5. That 15–5 decider against an equally skilled opponent illustrated her superior closing instincts under pressure.
Her earlier victory over India’s Unnati Hooda (15–12, 15–13) in the quarter-finals underscored her readiness for the big stage. Where most players wilt against relentless aggression, Anyapat absorbs it, slows it, and then redirects it a tactical counterpuncher in the truest sense.
The National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in Guwahati, though a state-of-the-art venue, presents its own set of tactical challenges. Like most large indoor arenas, it suffers from a noticeable “drift” air currents that subtly alter the shuttle’s trajectory.
Drift often favors players with superior control and deception a category Anyapat fits perfectly into. For Tanvi, whose attacking game relies on sharp depth and steep smashes, adapting her placement will be crucial. Her coach’s mid-tournament adjustments asking her to hit “inside the lines” were precisely meant to mitigate this issue.
Expect Tanvi to open aggressively, using her smashes to shorten rallies, while Anyapat will likely draw her into longer exchanges, forcing errors through pace variation and clever net play.
Tanvi holds a 1–0 head-to-head lead over Anyapat, but that statistic is far from decisive. Junior careers evolve fast, and both players have developed dramatically since their last meeting.
Strategically, this final boils down to three battlegrounds:
- Pace vs. Patience – Tanvi’s success depends on whether she can maintain relentless tempo without leaking errors. Anyapat’s goal will be to slow her down and frustrate her rhythm.
- Front Court Control – Tanvi’s best work comes at the net, where her flicks and pushes create instant winners. Anyapat’s deceptive blocks and counter-net play could neutralize that advantage.
- Pressure in the Decider – If this match goes to a third game, Anyapat’s calm finishing (15–5 in her semi-final decider) may give her a psychological edge over Tanvi, whose intensity can sometimes turn into impatience.
India’s Historical Weight: Seventeen Years in Waiting
This final carries echoes of history. The parallels with 2008 Pune, where Saina Nehwal won gold on home soil, are unmistakable the venue, the weight of expectation, the opportunity to inspire a new generation.
Since then, Indian finalists have repeatedly come close but fallen short: Aparna Popat (1996), Saina (2006), Siril Verma (2015), and Sankar Muthusamy (2022) all ended with silver. Tanvi has already broken a 17-year medal drought for Indian women by reaching the semifinals now she stands on the cusp of breaking the gold drought itself.
Her rise also symbolizes the success of India’s national junior structure, anchored by the BAI’s High-Performance Centre in Guwahati, which has blended Korean precision with Indian discipline to produce a new breed of player.
Expect a high-intensity opening. If Tanvi captures the first game quickly as she did in her semi-final she could ride the momentum to a straight-games win. But if Anyapat stretches her into a third game, the Thai’s psychological calm and adaptive intelligence could tilt the contest her way.
Either way, this final transcends the result. It marks the arrival of a new generation of Asian women’s singles players bold, tactical, and fearless.
For Tanvi Sharma, it’s a chance to etch her name beside Saina Nehwal’s in India’s badminton history books. For Anyapat, it’s an opportunity to carry forward Thailand’s proud legacy of artistic, tactical brilliance.
Two prodigies. Two nations. One gold.
When they walk onto Court 1 in Guwahati, they won’t just be playing for a title they’ll be playing for legacy.
