India’s rising badminton star Tanvi Sharma saw her Korea Open 2026 campaign come to an end on Thursday after suffering a straight-game defeat against Japan’s Hina Akechi in the women’s singles Round of 16.
The 17-year-old Indian went down 18-21, 12-21 in just 37 minutes as Akechi secured a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The result also extended the Japanese shuttler’s head-to-head advantage over Tanvi to 3-1 after four meetings between the two players.
Tanvi entered the contest with confidence following her hard-fought opening-round victory over Japan’s Manami Suizu, whom she defeated in a thrilling three-game encounter.
However, she struggled to maintain the same momentum against World No. 16 Akechi, who produced a composed performance to progress to the last eight.
The opening game witnessed an intense battle, with Tanvi making a promising start before Akechi responded strongly.
Both players exchanged points during the early stages, leaving little to separate them. However, a precise down-the-line winner from Akechi, followed by an error from Tanvi, helped the Japanese player establish an 11-9 advantage at the interval.
Interestingly, experienced Indian shuttler H. S. Prannoy, who had been eliminated in the opening round on Wednesday, was seen offering coaching assistance to Tanvi during the break.
The Indian youngster responded positively and levelled the score at 11-11, setting up a closely contested finish.
With the scores locked at 17-17, Akechi raised her intensity and claimed three consecutive points to earn three game points.
Although Tanvi saved the first, an attempted shot that landed wide handed Akechi the opening game 21-18 after 20 minutes.
The second game followed a similar pattern initially, with both shuttlers remaining competitive before Akechi entered the interval leading 11-9.
However, the Japanese player took complete control after the restart, extending her advantage to 16-10 as Tanvi struggled to find answers.
Akechi continued her dominance and quickly earned nine match points. Despite Tanvi saving the first opportunity, the Japanese star converted her second to seal a convincing 21-12 victory.
The defeat brought Tanvi’s Korea Open journey to a disappointing end after her encouraging first-round performance.
Meanwhile, Akechi advanced to the quarterfinals, continuing her impressive run in the tournament and strengthening her superior record against the young Indian shuttler.
