For an hour and 22 minutes, tension filled the air inside Dakar Arena last Thursday. When the scoreboard flashed 19-10 in the deciding game, most players would have started packing their bags. On the other side of the net stood China’s Zhang Yi Xin, the reigning junior world champion — sharp, clinical and relentless. Not Tanvi Patri .
She saved six championship points and dramatically clawed her way back. Tanvi’s path to the podium is as unconventional as her fearless on-court temperament. Years ago, when her father was working in China, seven-and-a-half-year-old Tanvi found herself tagging along to evening club sessions where her dad played doubles.
Refusing to surrender, the 15-year-old Indian shuttler uncorked a stunning, grit-soaked fightback. She had three match-point opportunities of her own, pushing the Chinese shuttler to the absolute brink before finally bowing out 24-26 in a heart-stopping decider.
Don’t just go play 100 shuttles at a time. When Covid-19 pandemic forced the family to return to India in 2020, Tanvi spent a year and a half training in Odisha before a scouting camp opened the doors to the renowned Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), now the Centre of Badminton Excellence, in Bengaluru in 2022. Perfect your actions step by step.’” Those formative years in China shaped more than just her strokes. Under the watchful eyes of coaches like Vimal Kumar, her game accelerated. Add to that the tropical Dakar climate — a players’ village sweltering without air conditioning, coupled with mosquitoes — with the tournament becoming a true test of mental fortitude. “Before going, I was sick and just did two days of training. The village and athlete house were really nice but the heat and humidity were tough.
“In China, all the big infrastructure is allowed for everyone,” said Tanvi in an interaction facilitated by Badminton Association of India (BAI). Also, there were mosquitoes,” said the teenager.
“My first Chinese coach, Xu (who passed away last year) taught me a fundamental lesson: ‘Always focus on your technique first. Saturdays and Sundays were often spent figure-skating with her friends, a pastime that quietly built her core strength, balance, and footwork agility that define her game today.
