India's Anmol Kharb, 17, Becomes Youngest Taipei Open Champion, Surpassing Tai Tzu-ying's Record

Seventeen-year-old Indian badminton player Anmol Kharb has made history at the Taipei Open, becoming the youngest women's singles champion in the tournament's Super 300 category. Kharb defeated Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh in the final with a decisive 21-16, 21-16 victory. At 17 years and 223 days old, she surpassed the previous record held by Taiwanese star Tai Tzu-ying, who was 18 when she won the title. This marks Kharb's first Super Series title of her career. Ranked world No. 34, Kharb had previously reached a final in the Super 300 U.S. Open last year but finished as the runner-up. In this Taipei Open, she navigated through the draw to reach the semifinals, defeating Taiwanese player Huang Yu-hsun on her path to the final. This was Kharb's second appearance in a Super 300 final. Facing the world No. 25 Nguyen Thuy Linh, whom she had previously defeated, Kharb displayed strong form from the outset, controlling the match's rhythm. Although she briefly trailed in the second game, she quickly adjusted, mounting a five-point run from 3-4 to secure her victory. Kharb admitted to feeling nervous before the match but focused on giving her best performance. She felt she played well in the first game but noted more errors in the second, which allowed her opponent opportunities. Inspired by her idol Tai Tzu-ying, Kharb expressed happiness at breaking the record but emphasized her ambition to continue improving and achieve success in higher-ranked Super 750 and Super 1000 tournaments.

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I was quite nervous before the match, but once I got on the court, I just wanted to show my best.