The 17-year-old sensation Unnati Hooda reached her maiden Super 1000 quarterfinal with a thrilling victory against experienced compatriot PV Sindhu at the China Open in Changzhou, China, on Thursday.
On the other hand, the Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also progressed to the quarterfinals of this last Super 1000 Tournament of the year.
Sindhu’s first defeat to an Indian player in 7 years
Unnati Hooda continued her good form on the circuit to clinch her first ever win against two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, who faced her faced defeat to an Indian shuttler in seven years.
The youngster showcased an exceptional defense against the aggressive play of Sindhu, forcing her to make some unforced errors, and clinched the opening game.
However, she could not close out he match in straight games as she missed out on her chances in the last part of the second game, losing very closely by 19-21.
Unnati didn’t let Sindhu dictate the rallies and keep the momentum in her favour in the deciding game to complete a historic win in a rather comfortable final game, 21-13.
This win will be a good confidence booster for the youngster, but she will be aiming to continue her momentum in the coming games and will work on her consistency on the circuit.
Satwik-Chirag into quarters
In men’s doubles, the duo of Satwik and Chirag registered a straight-game 21-19, 21-19 win against the higher-seeded Indonesian pair of Leo Carnando and Bagas Maulana in a tightly fought round of 16 clash.
This was the second consecutive win for the Indian pair against Leo and Bagas after their win against the same pair in the Indonesian Open first-round match last month.
However, it wasn’t an easy win as both pairs had their chances in both games, and the Indian pair had to come back from a 3-point deficit in the second game to close out the match in straight games.
Both pairs shared a similar playing style, nullifying each other’s tactics effectively in small exchanges. Eventually, the former world No. 1 pair displayed sharper precision in their exchanges to secure the victory.
HS Prannoy exits
Meanwhile, HS Prannoy struggled with inconsistency again. After a hard-earned win in the first round, he was defeated by Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the second round, 21-18, 15-21, 8-21.
Prannoy started strongly in the first game and gained an early lead of 4 points, which he maintained throughout and grabbed the opening game despite a late surge from Chou.
He had a much tighter start in the second game, with both players staying close and the score tied at 13-13. However, Prannoy then lost six points in a row, which swung the momentum entirely.
The match entered into a decider, which the world no.6 Chou comfortably won against Prannoy, who wasn’t looking comfortable after two intense and tightly-fought games.
