Indian shuttler Tanya Hemanth produced one of the strongest tournament runs of her young career to capture the women’s singles crown at the CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International Challenge 2025.
The title, her third International Challenge victory, comes at a crucial time, giving her season much-needed momentum and reaffirming her presence in the BWF top 100.
What made the triumph more significant was the manner of her wins. Tanya beat three Japanese players over the course of the week each presenting a different style of challenge and showed resilience by coming through tough three-game encounters before finishing with a dominant performance in the final. For a player often described as talented but inconsistent, this was the kind of sustained, all-round effort her supporters had been waiting to see.
As one of the seeded players, Tanya began her campaign with a round-of-32 bye. In the round of 16, she opened against a Japanese opponent and was stretched into three games. It was the first test of her patience, and she handled it well, coming through with a 2–1 victory. The match gave her an early reminder of the grind required at this level, while also building rhythm for the tougher rounds ahead.
Quarterfinal: A Tactical Adjustment
The quarterfinal against Singapore’s Lee Xin Yi Megan turned into a battle of nerve and adaptability. Tanya lost a tight first game 14–16, struggling to break down Lee’s defensive play and rhythm at the net. But she regrouped smartly in the second game, using higher lifts to force her opponent deep and then pouncing on shorter replies. The shift paid off as she took the next two games 15–12, 15–9 to seal the match in 46 minutes. This was an important checkpoint for Tanya. In earlier tournaments, she has occasionally faltered after dropping the opening game. Here, she displayed the ability to reset her tactics mid-match and close strong in the decider.
Semifinal: Overcoming a World Junior Champion
The semifinal brought her face-to-face with Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto, the 2024 World Junior Champion in women’s doubles. Though primarily known as a doubles player, Hiramoto brought a high tempo and sharp net play that tested Tanya’s composure.
The Indian began brightly, taking the first game 15–10, but lost control in the second as Hiramoto found her range, levelling the contest 15–12. In the decider, Tanya produced some of her best badminton of the week—mixing defensive solidity with timely attacking clears—to clinch the game 15–8. The win, completed in 48 minutes, highlighted her ability to fight through pressure and execute her plan in the clutch moments.
Final: A Commanding Finish
In the final, Tanya faced another Japanese opponent, Kanae Sakai, and this time she left no room for uncertainty. From the start, she dictated the rallies with her sharp footwork and tight net play, forcing Sakai into rushed errors. Both games followed a similar pattern—Tanya opening small leads and maintaining control through steady scoring bursts.
She wrapped up the title in just 27 minutes, winning 15–10, 15–8, and celebrated what was easily her most commanding performance of the tournament. After being pushed in earlier rounds, she looked fresher and more assured on the big stage, a sign of improved match management across the week.
This win holds significance beyond the trophy. Tanya has been in and around the BWF top 100 for some time but has struggled to piece together a full week of winning performances. Her earlier results in 2025 included isolated victories, but not the consistency required to push her ranking upwards. In Saipan, she showed she can withstand tough three-game battles and still deliver her best badminton in the final. The fact that she beat three Japanese players from early rounds to the title match adds further weight to the victory.
Japanese shuttlers are known for their rally endurance and defensive strength, and overcoming that variety repeatedly highlights Tanya’s improved tactical discipline and stamina. Moreover, this being her third International Challenge win, it reflects that her development is on track. At 21, she still has time to make strides toward Super 100 and Super 300 events, but weeks like Saipan prove she has the foundation to compete consistently at that level.
For Tanya Hemanth, this victory should serve as a springboard. The key takeaway from Saipan was not just the result but the method: tactical adaptability, mental calm in deciders, and the ability to finish the tournament stronger than she started. These are exactly the qualities required to move up the BWF ladder. Indian women’s singles badminton is entering a transitional phase. With PV Sindhu in the latter stages of her career, the next line of players including Malvika Bansod, Ashmita Chaliha, Aakarshi Kashyap, and now Tanya are all vying to establish themselves.
Tanya’s Saipan win places her firmly in that conversation and shows she is capable of making the step up with continued improvement. For now, though, she can celebrate a breakthrough week in which she strung together four quality wins, beat three Japanese opponents, and lifted a trophy that could mark the turning point of her 2025 season.
Tanya Hemanth is back in the winners’ circle, and Indian badminton will hope this is only the beginning.
