Unnati Hooda stuns star shuttler PV Sindhu to enter China Open quarters; Satwik-Chirag advance

In a defining second of her fledgling profession, younger Unnati Hooda shocked two-time Olympic medallist and Indian badminton stalwart PV Sindhu in a gripping three-game contest to storm into the quarter-finals of China Open Tremendous in Changzhou on Thursday.

Going through her adorned compatriot for less than 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 quarter-final look at a Tremendous 1000 occasion.

{The teenager} from Rohtak, who has received Tremendous 100 titles on the 2022 Odisha Masters and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters, will subsequent tackle Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the third seed and a two-time world champion.

Hooda stated she herself was shocked with the win.

“I didn’t count on that I’d win at present,” Hooda stated after the match.

“However I got here with a thought that I’ll give it my all. Regardless of the outcome (can be), is secondary. It’s shocking for me too.”

“However I’m joyful that I used to be capable of win in opposition to her at present. It was a really robust match for me,” she added.

Hooda stated she was decided to stay affected person via the course of the sport.

“Truly, I wasted my two Hawkeye challenges. I don’t keep in mind the precise rating however perhaps it was 17-18. (By) just one level I used to be main and it was completely out. I didn’t have any problem left so it was somewhat bit irritating for me,” she stated.

‘Then she took management on the shuttle and dominated the second sport after that. I additionally tried my greatest however couldn’t win the second sport. However I stored the endurance stage with myself within the third sport.”

“When the aspect modified, I used to be able to play lengthy rallies and lengthy matches from the beginning of the third sport,” Hooda added.

A brand new addition to the record of Indian WS gamers to achieve the BWF Tremendous 1000 quarters!

Welcome, Unnati Hooda⬅️#Badminton pic.twitter.com/uvmVEDeaZJ

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) July 24, 2025

Sindhu stated it was robust to regulate the shuttle.

“It was a bit exhausting to regulate the shuttle is what I felt as a result of the court docket additionally made a distinction. Within the third sport she took a lead after which maintained that,” she stated.

Sindhu stated on her opponent, “It’s good for her. I want her all the easiest and she or he’s executed properly for herself. She’s doing properly; she’s arising so I want her all the most effective.”

The lads’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty additionally displayed tactical self-discipline and composure to notch up a 21-19 21-19 victory over the eighth-seeded Indonesian mixture of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana and progress to the quarter-finals.

It was nonetheless the top of the street 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 language Taipei in a 65-minute males’s singles second-round match.

Sindhu vs Hooda

Sindhu, ranked world No. 15, got here into the match on the again of a strong win over Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki however discovered herself outplayed by Hooda’s pace, precision, and unrelenting vitality.

That is the primary time that Sindhu has misplaced to a fellow Indian in a global occasion in seven years, the final being the 2018 Commonwealth Video games closing loss to Saina Nehwal. She had misplaced to Saina within the 2019 Nationwide Championships closing as properly.

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

From 13-all, Hooda surged forward with 4 straight factors earlier than sealing the sport 21-16, leaving Sindhu on the again foot.

The second sport was tighter, with neither participant capable of draw back. At 19-all, Sindhu executed a medical cross-court drop that left Hooda stranded, and adopted it up with a exact smash to push the competition right into a decider at 21-19.

Nonetheless, the ultimate sport noticed a noticeable dip in Sindhu’s consistency. Hooda capitalised on a string of unforced errors from the previous world No 2, together with mistimed smashes and poor judgement on the web.

The teenager raced to an 11-6 lead on the mid-game interval, helped by a few highly effective forehand smashes and sharp angles that stored Sindhu on the defensive.

Sindhu narrowed down the hole to 12-15 with some crisp winners, however Hooda stayed composed, sustaining a gradual four-point cushion with robust cross-court placements.

At 20-13, she earned seven match factors and wanted only one to shut it out, ending with a forehand winner and celebrating with a fist pump.

This marked a major step in Hooda’s upward trajectory. Now ranked world No 35, she’s constantly challenged higher-ranked opponents, together with semi-final runs in Taipei and robust performances on the German Open earlier this season.

Earlier, the duo of Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the important thing junctures.

The opening sport noticed the Indonesians main 14-12, however Satwik-Chirag surged forward with a five-point streak to take management.

The second sport was equally shut. Trailing 10-14 at one level, the Indians clawed again to 18-all and managed to go previous their opponents and seal a straight-game win.

“It was fairly a topsy-turvy match — simply forwards and backwards the entire time. We didn’t actually have an enormous lead at any level. Finally, round 16-something, we received 3–4 factors in a row and managed to shut it,” Chirag stated.

“We’re undoubtedly feeling higher. There’s nonetheless an extended option to go — I wouldn’t say we’re at our greatest simply but. We haven’t performed that many tournaments over the previous yr, in order that’s one of many causes we’ve entered Macau.”