New Delhi: India’s challenge at the Orleans Masters 2026 ended in the semi-finals after Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah lost their respective women’s singles matches at the Palais des Sports on Saturday.
Tanvi Sharma, ranked 38th and a World Junior Championships silver medallist, went down to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-9, 21-16 in a 35-minute contest.
Okuhara took control early and built a steady lead in the opening game. Tanvi trailed 11-6 at the interval and could not recover as the Japanese shuttler closed it out comfortably, according to olympics.com.
The second game saw a sharper response from the 17-year-old, who matched her opponent to 12-all. Okuhara then lifted the tempo and pulled clear in the closing phase to seal the match and progress further.
The semi-final marked Tanvi Sharma’s second appearance in the last four of a BWF Super 300 event. She had earlier finished runner-up at the US Open BWF Super 300 2025, becoming the youngest Indian woman to reach a World Tour final at 16.
In the other semi-final, Baruah, ranked 52nd, lost 21-12, 23-21 to Thailand’s Pitchamon Opatniputh.
Pitchamon dominated the opening game from the outset, leaving Isharani with little room to settle into the match.
Isharani responded strongly in the next game and opened up a 10-5 lead. The Thai player fought back to move ahead 13-10, but Isharani stayed in contention and forced a tense finish. She saved a match point and extended the contest before falling short in the closing moments.
