Senegal: Tanvi Patri became the first Indian women's singles badminton player to win a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games after losing to reigning world junior champion Zhang Yi Xin in a closely contested final in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.
The 15-year-old saved six match points and missed three of her own before going down 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in an hour and 22 minutes, according to a press release.
Before Patri, HS Prannoy in 2010 and Lakshya Sen in 2018 had won individual silver medals in badminton at the Youth Olympic Games. Sen had also secured mixed team gold with Team Alpha, which included shuttlers from eight countries.
Congratulating Patri on her performance in Dakar, the Badminton Association of India general secretary said she had made the country proud with her achievement.
“Tanvi Patri has made the entire nation proud with a historic achievement at the Youth Olympic Games. Winning a silver medal at just 15 is an extraordinary accomplishment and a moment of immense pride for India.
“Her fighting spirit, composure and performances throughout the competition reflect the immense potential of our young sporting generation. This achievement is a significant milestone for Indian sport and a testament to the growing presence of our athletes on the global stage. On behalf of the Badminton Association of India and its member colleagues, I congratulate Tanvi and everyone who has supported her journey,” he said, according to the release.
In Thursday's final, Patri took time to settle in the opening game before winning seven consecutive points to turn a 3-5 deficit into a 10-5 lead. She created openings with her punch tosses and controlled the net to take the first game in 25 minutes.
Patri began the second game with a 4-0 lead, but the drift from behind her began affecting her control over the clears. Zhang took charge after the mid-game interval to level the match and force a decider.
Zhang then established an early lead in the third game with her cross-court drops, moving ahead 19-10. Patri fought back to reduce the deficit to four points at 19-15, but an error on a cross-court smash gave her opponent five match points.
Patri saved those five match points and had three opportunities to seal the gold medal. However, Zhang's experience ultimately proved decisive.