Divyanshi Bhowmick becomes first Indian to win U15 girls’ singles title in 36 years

Divyanshi Bhowmick created history at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian in 36 years to win the U15 girls’ singles continental title.

Subramanian Bhuvaneswari was the last Indian to win the girls’ title in the age group. She did it at the 1989 edition hosted by New Delhi.

The 14-year-old Indian table tennis player, seeded second, defeated the People’s Republic of China’s Zhu Qihi 4-2 (13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8) in the final to cap off a stunning campaign, which saw her beat three Chinese opponents.

Divyanshi also secured qualification for the upcoming World Youth Table Tennis Championships, scheduled in Romania this November, with her gold-medal-winning run at Tashkent.

Divyanshi’s most notable performance came in the semi-finals, where she edged past Liu Ziling of China in a tightly-contested seven-game table tennis battle.

In the final, she held her nerve against Zhu Qihi, using her strong backhand and clever placement to overcome early pressure and close out the match.

A rising star in India’s junior table tennis circuit, Divyanshi was named Best Women’s Player (Overall) at the Table Tennis Super League (TTSL) Maharashtra in April.

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