Tanvi Patri reaches Youth Olympic girls' singles final after 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 win

Tanvi Patri, 15, defeated Japan's Yuzuno Watanabe 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 to reach the girls' singles final at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian woman to reach a badminton final at the event.

Patri made an aggressive start, taking the opening point and immediately pressuring Watanabe as she dictated the pace early on; the Japanese opponent, who had beaten Patri at the 2024 Pathum Thani Junior International Series in Thailand, required time to settle. Patri built an early lead in the first game, stretching the margin to five points midway and using smashes and cross-court placement to disrupt Watanabe's defence. A well-placed corner smash helped Patri close out the opener 21-14.

The second game swung in Watanabe's favour as she targeted the corners and extended rallies to draw errors from Patri, who misjudged several shots that landed inside the baseline. Those mistakes allowed Watanabe to pull away and control the exchanges, and she took the game 21-11 to force a deciding third game.

The decider became a test of temperament, with Patri racing to an early lead before Watanabe fought back to level the scores. Patri briefly showed visible frustration after a missed opportunity but responded by reverting to an attacking approach, aiming to finish points with smashes rather than engage in extended rallies.

A powerful smash from Patri put Watanabe on the floor and helped the Indian regain the advantage; a subsequent forced error from Watanabe brought Patri within reach and she eventually closed out the match 21-19 in the final game. The victory reversed the result from their previous meeting in Thailand, where Watanabe had won 21-14, 21-10.

Patri's run in Buenos Aires has broken new ground for Indian badminton: before her, only HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and Aditya Joshi had reached the badminton semifinals at the Youth Olympic Games. Prannoy won silver at the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010, Lakshya Sen finished runner-up at the 2018 Games in Buenos Aires, and Aditya Joshi reached the boys' singles semifinals in 2014 but returned without a medal.

Earlier this year Patri won the girls' singles U-17 title at the Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Championships in Chengdu, becoming the first Indian shuttler to win both continental titles.

With Wednesday's win, the Odisha teenager moves within one win of a historic gold medal and will contest the girls' singles final in Buenos Aires.