The China Open Super 1000 Badminton Tournament 2025 witnessed a mixed day for Indian players. On one hand, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda caused a major upset by defeating veteran player PV Sindhu.
China Open Badminton: Unnati Hooda achieved the biggest feat of her young career, stunning the badminton world by defeating two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu. In a thrilling and closely contested match that went to three games at the China Open Super 1000 tournament on Thursday, the 17-year-old Unnati secured a 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 victory, entering the quarter-finals of a Super 1000 event for the first time.
Unnati Hooda's Stellar Performance, Defeats PV Sindhu
Haryana's 17-year-old badminton star Unnati Hooda recorded the biggest win of her career, shocking India's two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu. The match lasted for three games and thrilled the audience for 73 minutes. Unnati won the match 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 and entered the quarter-finals of a Super 1000 tournament for the first time.
The match was not only technically challenging but also mentally demanding, with Unnati holding her own in difficult moments and defeating the experienced Sindhu. Unnati will now face Japan's third seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-finals.
This was Sindhu's first loss to a fellow Indian player in an international tournament in seven years. Prior to this, she had faced defeats against Saina Nehwal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 National Championships.
Satwik and Chirag's Pair Showcases Strong Performance
India's former number one men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also displayed their experience and composure, defeating Indonesia's eighth-seeded pair Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana in straight games 21-19, 21-19. The match was full of ups and downs. In the first game, the Indonesian pair initially took the lead, but the Indian pair won five consecutive points after the score was 14-16, claiming the game.
In the second game as well, Leo and Bagas were leading 14-10, but Satwik-Chirag made a tremendous comeback to level the score at 18-18 and secured their place in the quarter-finals by winning the game with composure in the final moments. After the match, Chirag Shetty said, "It was a very up and down match. We got some important points at the end of the first game, which changed the momentum. We played with patience and it paid off."
HS Prannoy Knocked Out of Tournament
Meanwhile, India's experienced shuttler HS Prannoy suffered a 21-18, 15-21, 8-21 defeat against Chinese Taipei's sixth-seeded Chou Tien Chen in the second round of the men's singles. The match lasted 65 minutes, in which Prannoy performed well in the first game, but he could not maintain the momentum in the later games.
