India At China Open Wrap: Unnati Shocks Sindhu; Satwik-Chirag Advance To Quarters; Prannoy Exits

In a defining moment of her fledgling career, young Unnati Hooda stunned two-time Olympic medallist and Indian badminton stalwart PV Sindhu in a gripping three-game contest to storm into the quarterfinals of China Open Super in Changzhou, China on Thursday.

Facing her decorated compatriot for only the second time, 17-year-old Hooda held her nerve in crunch moments to register a sensational 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 victory in 73 minutes, marking her maiden quarterfinal appearance at a Super 1000 event.

The teenager from Rohtak, who has won Super 100 titles at the 2022 Odisha Masters and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters, will next take on Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, the third seed and a two-time world champion.

The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also displayed tactical discipline and composure to notch up a 21-19 21-19 victory over the eighth-seeded Indonesian combination of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana and progress to the quarterfinals.

It was however the end of the road for HS Prannoy, who bowed out after a hard-fought 21-18 15-21 8-21 loss to sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in a 65-minute men's singles second-round match.

Sindhu vs Hooda

Sindhu, ranked world No. 15, came into the match on the back of a solid win over Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki but found herself outplayed by Hooda's speed, precision, and unrelenting energy.

This is the first time that Sindhu has lost to a fellow Indian in an international event in seven years, the last being the 2018 Commonwealth Games final loss to Saina Nehwal. She had lost to Saina in the 2019 National Championships final as well.

In a match that featured high-octane rallies, momentum shifts, and moments of brilliance from both ends, it was Hooda’s fearless approach that made the difference.

The opening game began evenly, with both players looking for rhythm. While Sindhu used her trademark down-the-line smashes and tight net play, Hooda responded with agile footwork and deep clears that forced errors from the veteran.

From 13-all, Hooda surged ahead with four straight points before sealing the game 21-16, leaving Sindhu on the back foot.

The second game was tighter, with neither player able to pull away. At 19-all, Sindhu executed a clinical cross-court drop that left Hooda stranded, and followed it up with a precise smash to push the contest into a decider at 21-19.

However, the final game saw a noticeable dip in Sindhu's consistency. Hooda capitalised on a string of unforced errors from the former world No. 2, including mistimed smashes and poor judgement at the net.

The youngster raced to an 11-6 lead at the mid-game interval, helped by a couple of powerful forehand smashes and sharp angles that kept Sindhu on the defensive.

Sindhu narrowed down the gap to 12-15 with some crisp winners, but Hooda stayed composed, maintaining a steady four-point cushion with strong cross-court placements.

At 20-13, she earned seven match points and needed just one to close it out, finishing with a forehand winner and celebrating with a fist pump.

This marked a significant step in Hooda's upward trajectory. Now ranked world No. 35, she's consistently challenged higher-ranked opponents, including semifinal runs in Taipei and strong performances at the German Open earlier this season.

Earlier, the duo of Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the key junctures to overcome the challenge posed by the Indonesian pair.

The opening game saw the Indonesians leading 14-12, but Satwik-Chirag surged ahead with a five-point streak to take control.

The second game was similarly close. Trailing 10-14 at one point, the Indians clawed back to 18-all and managed to go past their opponents and seal a straight-game win.

"It was quite a topsy-turvy match — just back and forth the whole time. We didn't really have a big lead at any point. Eventually, around 16-something, we got 3–4 points in a row and managed to close it," Chirag said.

"We're definitely feeling better. There's still a long way to go — I wouldn't say we're at our best just yet. We haven't played that many tournaments over the past year, so that's one of the reasons we've entered Macau."