China Open 2025: Unnati Hooda stuns compatriot PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag storm into quarters

Satwik-Chirag storm into quarters, says could have been calmer, more aggressive in second game

CHANGZHOU (CHINA) — 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 women’s singles quarterfinals at the China Open 2025 here on Thursday.

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.

Also read: China Open: Prannoy exits in Round of 16, India's campaign in men's singles ends

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.

The win in the men's doubles kept India's campaign alive in the BWF World Series Super 1000 event after HS Prannoy exited with a defeat to World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei after a hard-fought encounter in men’s singles.

China Open: Satwik-Chirag storm into quarters, says could have been calmer, more aggressive in second game

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, continued their winning momentum at the China Open, a BWF Super 1000 tournament, to book a place in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

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.

The win in the men's doubles kept India's campaign alive in the BWF World Series Super 1000 event after HS Prannoy exited with a defeat to World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei after a hard-fought encounter in men’s singles.

In the post-match interaction, Satwik and Chirag felt they could have restricted their opponents a bit in the second game. Chirag said the first game was quite close before they could take control by winning the last 3-4 points.

"First game, yeah, it was quite topsy-turvy. Like a lot of back and forth where we didn't really have a sizable lead, and neither did they. Maybe at some point we were leading by 2 points, or they were leading by 2 points. Eventually, at I think, 16 something, we finally had that breakthrough where we got 3-4 points in a row and eventually closed out that first game," said Chirag.

He felt that they could have started the second game in a calmer manner and closed it out earlier.

"But I think we should have started the second game a little more safely. I mean, it should have been a little more calmer. I think we could have like restricted them quite a bit, but I think they played some quite good badminton as well, good service receiving. But yeah, happy that we could finally get that one," Chirag added.

Satwik felt that both sides were quite similar, but admitted they became a bit passive in the second game, which made it a closer affair.

"No, actually, we felt both sides were quite similar. Not much of a major difference, but as Chirag said, after the first game, we got a lot of confidence that we got a little passive. I felt not so aggressive on the receiving end and made way too many mistakes, which we didn't do in the first game. So then they got their rhythm. Then again, we have to dig deep, and here and there we have to struggle.

"Actually, we stuck together even when we were down in the second game. Also, when we were down, it was just a matter of 12 points. I think 12 good services -- that's all you need, 12 good services. So, really happy that we won the match," said Satwik.