Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: In a high-octane all-Indian clash, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda delivered a sensational performance to overcome two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and book her place in the quarterfinals at the China Open on July 24. The match was a showcase of India’s present and future in badminton, with the rising star Unnati taking on the seasoned champion Sindhu. Unnati started strong, claiming the opening game 21-16, but Sindhu struck back in the second, edging it 21-19 in a tense finish. In the decider, Unnati displayed remarkable play, sealing the contest 21-13 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The 17-year-old Unnati from Haryana had a slight advantage at 19-18 after a neck-and-neck battle as lead exchanged hands repeatedly before Sindhu won three points in a row from 18 to win the second game and levelled scores. In the decider, Unnati opened a 3-1 lead, and before Sindhu closed the gap to 5-6. Ranked 28th in the World, Unnati extended the lead to 10-5. She maintained the advantage to 13-6 before going on to seal the game and match at 21-13, winning five points in a row towards the end of the match.
This was their first head-to-head encounter at the international stage and thus Unnati’s maiden victory over the seasoned Sindhu. Unnati will now face World No. 4 and third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the quarterfinals. In men’s doubles, Satwik-Chirag will take on Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in their quarterfinal clash.
Earlier, India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, continued their winning momentum. The World No. 12 duo delivered another composed performance, edging past Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 21-19, 21-19 in straight games, underlining their strong title aspirations.
