French Open 2026: Tanvi beats Isharani, likely to face An Se-young in Round of 16; Ashmita advances

FILE PHOTO: In the first-round match in the French capital, Tanvi set the tone with a flurry of points in the opener. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Tanvi Sharma made easy work of her compatriot Isharani Baruah to triumph in the all-Indian clash and advance to the round of 16 at the French Open 2026 in Paris on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old Tanvi bagged a 21-12, 21-12 win over the 22-year-old Isharani in a match which lasted 32 minutes on Court 4 at the Arena Grand.

Now, Tanvi stares at a possible match against World No. 1 An Se-young, who is set to face Denmark’s Amalie Schulz in the first round.

The Indian had troubled the Korean at times, but eventually lost 15-21, 13-21 in last week’s Denmark Open quarterfinals.

Against Isharani, Tanvi set the tone with a flurry of points in the opener. She quickly raced to an 11-3 lead at the mid-game interval. And within 14 minutes, sealed the first game.

The second game bore a different picture. Isharani didn’t allow the gap to widen during the opening exchanges, staying with Tanvi till 5-5. But Tanvi won six of the next seven points to have a comfortable cushion at the mid-game point, and eventually, booked her second-round berth.

Ashmita Chaliha, the left-hander whose aggressive game relies on jump smashes and pace, beat Han Qian Xi 21-18, 24-22 to make it two wins over the Chinese shuttler, who she had earlier beaten in the Korea Masters final.