Tanvi, Ayush storm into U.S. finals

Iowa

Indian shuttlers Tanvi Sharma and Ayush Shetty continued their impressive run at the U.S. Open Super 300 badminton tournament, storming into the finals with commanding performances in their respective categories.

In the women’s singles semifinal, 16-year-old unseeded Tanvi Sharma stunned seventh-seeded Ukrainian Polina Buhrova with a straight-game victory, winning 21-14, 21-16 in just 34 minutes. This win marked her second career triumph over Buhrova and showcased the teenager’s rising stature in international badminton. She will now face top seed Beiwen Zhang of the United States in the title clash.

Ayush Shetty, the fourth seed in the men’s singles, pulled off a major upset by defeating tournament favourite and world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. In a grueling match that lasted over an hour, Ayush bounced back after losing the first game 21-23 to win the next two 21-15, 21-14, displaying grit and determination. He will now meet third seed Brian Yang of Canada in the final. Yang secured his place by beating Liao Jhuo-Fu of Chinese Taipei 21-10, 21-12.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, both Tanvi and Ayush had delivered exceptional performances. Tanvi beat Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-13, 21-16, while Ayush overcame junior world champion Kuo Kuan Lin of Chinese Taipei with a dominant 22-20, 21-9 win. With these victories, India now has a strong shot at clinching double gold at the prestigious U.S. Open, further underlining the emergence of a new generation of badminton stars.