Changzhou, July 23
India's rising badminton star Unnati Hooda produced a stunning performance to knock out veteran Scottish shuttler Kirsty Gilmour in straight games at the China Open 2025, setting up an all-Indian Round-of-16 clash with PV Sindhu.
The 17-year-old displayed exceptional composure and skill to win 21-11, 21-16 in just 36 minutes, marking one of the biggest victories of her young career on the BWF World Tour.
From the outset, Unnati looked sharp and confident, keeping the pressure on Gilmour with tight net play and well-placed smashes. Her ability to control the pace of rallies and draw errors from the experienced Scot was a highlight of the match. The teenager raced through the first game, giving Gilmour little chance to recover. The second game saw more resistance, but Unnati never lost grip on the contest and closed it out with maturity beyond her years.
With this win, Unnati not only progressed to the pre-quarterfinals of a Super 1000 event but also earned a rare chance to test herself against PV Sindhu -- India's most decorated women's shuttler -- in what promises to be a generational showdown.
Earlier in the day, two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu fought past Japan's sixth seed Tomoka Miyazaki 21-15, 8-21, 21-17 to advance to the next round. Sindhu started strongly, using her experience to dominate the first game, but Miyazaki hit back emphatically in the second. In the decider, Sindhu raced to an early lead and fended off a late charge from the teenager to seal victory in 62 minutes. This was Sindhu's first win over Miyazaki, who had beaten her at the Swiss Open last year.
In men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty eased into the Round-of-16 with a convincing 21-13, 21-9 win over Japan's Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura. However, it was a disappointment for the women's doubles duo Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, who lost to a higher-ranked Hong Kong China pair.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I'm happy for Unnati, I hope Sindhu doesn't go easy on her just because she's young. This should be a proper competitive match to help Unnati grow. Our players need tough challenges to prepare for international tournaments.
The depth in Indian women's badminton is amazing! From Saina to Sindhu and now Unnati - we're producing world-class players consistently. BAI's grassroots programs are clearly paying off. Next target should be Olympic gold! ðŸ¸
As a badminton coach, I'm impressed by Unnati's court coverage and shot selection. She's playing with the maturity of a veteran. That said, Sindhu's experience will be tough to overcome. Either way, Indian badminton wins!
So proud of our girls! 💪 But can we talk about Satwik-Chirag's dominance? They made it look so easy against the Japanese pair. Men's doubles might give us our first Olympic gold in badminton at Paris 2024!
While celebrating Unnati's win, let's not forget the Panda sisters' loss. They need more international exposure. BAI should send them to more tournaments - talent is there but needs polishing against top opponents.
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