Syed Modi International: Tanvi Sharma Stuns Nozomi Okuhara; Hooda and Baruah Advance to Next Round

Tanvi Sharma, just 16 years old, delivered the biggest win of her young career on Day 3 of the Syed Modi International 2025 in Lucknow. The World Juniors silver medalist shocked former World No. 1, world champion, and Olympic medalist Nozomi Okuhara in a thrilling three-game battle. After dropping the first game, Tanvi fought back brilliantly to win 13-21, 21-16, 21-19, securing a spot in the quarterfinals.

Isharani Baruah added to the day’s upsets with a commanding 21-15, 21-8 victory over eighth seed Polina Buhrova of Ukraine. Top seed Unnati Hooda also progressed comfortably, defeating Tasnim Mir 21-15, 21-10, while Rakshitha Sree edged past Devika Sihag 16-21, 21-19, 21-17.

The men’s singles draw saw more surprises. Manraj Singh toppled third seed HS Prannoy 21-15, 21-18, and Mithun Manjunath outlasted sixth seed Tharun Mannepalli 21-16, 17-21, 21-7. Former champion Kidambi Srikanth cruised to a 21-6, 21-16 win over Saneeth Dayanand to continue his steady run.

In women’s doubles, top seeds Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a smooth 21-17, 21-12 victory over Zenith Abbigail and Likhita Srivastava. Jolly also impressed in mixed doubles, teaming with Hariharan Amsakarunan to upset second seeds Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde 24-22, 21-15.

The men’s doubles pair of Hariharan and MR Arjun booked their quarterfinal berth with a confident 21-12, 21-18 win against Malaysia’s Lau Yi Sheng and Lim Tze Jian.

Earlier on Wednesday, top seeds Unnati Hooda and Jason Teh began their campaigns with composed straight-game victories. Former champion Kidambi Srikanth also advanced, beating compatriot Kavin Thangam 21-13, 21-10 to keep his hopes alive for another strong finish in Lucknow.

With inputs from IANS