Badminton: Tanvi Patri wins U17 Asian title, ahead of Jr Worlds trial

For Patri though, the Sunday finish was commendable. “She had played 4 good weeks of badminton, including the title Indonesia International Challenge,” reprised coach Sagar Chopda. Since her U15 Asian title, a couple of realizations had hit her team — coaches at Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru led by Vimal Kumar and her father, a software engineer employee at the IT city, simultaneously devoted to her career. Patri had been prone to injuries over the last two years, and had to be pulled back from the grind of the circuit for close to eight weeks. “We realised we can’t keep pushing her,” Chopda says of the prodigy, while adding, “It’s why these 4 weeks were good news, aside from the title.”

While Singapore IC played slow – conditions where stroke-makers with game smarts and variations tend to struggle – Indonesia saw her picking her first senior title at Pontianak, where fast shuttles were to her liking, and she defeated the stronger Rachel Chan. “She’s beating players 2-3 years older than her, and yesterday she showed good skill to come back from 6-10 down against the Chinese (Yu Ying Gui). You can’t discount her, when she’s down,” Chopda explains.

What made it a double gain for India was her opponent in the 15-10, 11-15, 15-12 win, academy-mate from Bengaluru, Shaina Manimuthu, also aged 15. (BAI)

The plan ahead sounds simple, but is terribly important. “Stay injury-free and get stronger,” Chopda says. Her wins, including against the Korean at Indonesia, have broader contours of sharp downward strokes, mixing drops and half-smashes, though the attack is still a work in progress, understandably due to a strength deficit. Ying Gui though, caught Patri on her forehand corner – which was a major learning in just how much work needs doing.

A large part of her early badminton philosophy was shaped by Chinese coaches when the Balasore, Odisha-born shuttler trained at Kunshan, where her father worked for an IT major. The backhands at the net can be traced back to those fundamentals, even as she trained in roller skating to help her with balance. Significantly, Chinese coaches at Kunshan would smash at her body, which greatly sorted out her defense. With Vimal and Sagar, the attack is getting honed, even as she continues to be a fan of Viktor Axelsen.

Her father Rabinarayan actually trained in badminton so he could coach her. She has also been consciously kept away from electronics (No music on headphones) because it could mess with her equanimity, by the badminton-mad father.

Shaina Manimuthu, on the other hand, has impressed her coaches with her fitness parameters – strength, power and endurance. The daughter of a CRPF soldier, with a very sturdy fitness base, she hits hard smashes and shows immense grit.

“Her smashes are hit hard and she has good strength, maybe the best in her age-group. Her game is looking impressive, and she could spring a surprise in coming years though we haven’t started her out on international events,” Chopda says. The power was visible in her semis against the Japanese, Anon Okimoto.

With two U15s also throwing their hats into the ring, the Guwahati trials could get interesting for the solitary spot, with Tanvi Sr (who’s only 18 later this year), also in contention and Rajasthan’s U19 national champ Parul Choudhary in the mix as well.

‘Encouraging signs for Isharani’

At the Vietnam Open Super 100, Isharani Baruah lost 21-8, 21-15 to Thai breakthrough star, Sarunrak Vitidsarn. “Isha did well to get to the finals. She was very aggressive in her quarters and semis which is an improvement in her game. But we will sit and chat with her on what went wrong in the finals,” Chopda said.

Sarunrak, the Thai sensation, and younger sister of Men’s singles former World champ, Kunlavut, is extremely deceptive – in the Ratchanok realms, and at 20 has begun to make her way up, inflicting defeats this week on both Tanvi Sharma, Mansi Singh and Isharani. Her clears from the back are impressive. However, the incremental improvement for the Assamese crazy-ball jump-smasher has been in nurturing her attack.

“She tended to keep retrieving, waiting for opponent mistakes. When on attack, she used to be impatient. But this week she was good and in that attacking zone. Finals, of course, could’ve done much better,” Chopda explained.