Orleans [France], March 22 (ANI): India's challenge at the Orleans Masters 2026 came to a close on Saturday after teenage shuttler Tanvi Sharma and compatriot Isharani Baruah suffered defeats in their respective women's singles semi-finals at the Palais des Sports.
World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma went down to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara, a former Olympic bronze medallist, in straight games. The world No. 38 Indian lost 21-9, 21-16 in a 35-minute contest, according to Olympics.com.
The 17-year-old struggled to settle into the opening game, trailing 11-6 at the mid-game interval before Okuhara tightened her grip to close it out comfortably. Tanvi showed improved resistance in the second game, keeping pace with the experienced Japanese shuttler until 12-all, but Okuhara raised her level at the crucial juncture to seal the match and progress to the final.
Despite the loss, it marked Tanvi's second semi-final appearance at a BWF Super 300 event, underlining her rapid rise on the international circuit. She had finished runner-up at the 2025 US Open, becoming the youngest Indian woman to reach a BWF World Tour final at 16.
In the other semi-final, Isharani Baruah also bowed out after a straight-games defeat to Thailand's Pitchamon Opatniputh. The world No. 52 Indian lost 21-12, 23-21 to the 27th-ranked Thai player.
Baruah found it difficult to counter Opatniputh's dominance in the opening game, which the Thai shuttler controlled throughout. However, the Indian mounted a strong comeback in the second game, racing to a 10-5 lead before her opponent clawed back to go ahead 13-10.
The contest went down to the wire as Baruah saved a match point to force a deuce, but Opatniputh held her nerve in the closing stages to secure victory and a place in the final.
With both semi-final exits, India's campaign at the tournament concluded without a title. (ANI)