At the China Open Super 1000 tournament in Changzhou, India’s adolescent badminton phenom Unnati Hooda defeated older compatriot PV Sindhu in the women’s singles Round of 16 on Thursday, achieving the biggest victory of her young career.
Over the course of 76 minutes, the 17-year-old defeated the two-time Olympic champion 21-16, 19-21, 21-13. Hooda dominated the opening game and kept up her rhythm in the third to win the match with exceptional poise and tactical awareness.
Unnati’s journey till now
After defeating Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki in her opening round, which was her first victory over a player ranked in the top ten this year, Sindhu was unable to build on that success. The 30-year-old couldn’t keep up with Hooda’s pace and shot selection in the final, even though he levelled the match by winning the second game 21-19. Hooda became the youngest Indian woman to go to the China Open quarterfinals after defeating Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-11, 21-16. As Sindhu continues to look for form after a challenging season, her victory also demonstrated the rise of a new generation of Indian talent.
Unnati Hooda’s done it!
In a clash of Indian generations, 17-year-old Unnati pulls off an impressive performance to defeat the legend that is PV Sindhu. A brilliant, often intense clash.
How significant is this moment for Indian badminton? 🏸
🎥 BWF pic.twitter.com/bMYgEtVV7b
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 24, 2025
Hooda’s victory over Gilmour, a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, made her just the third Indian, after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, to win a Superseries/Superseries Premier/World Tour 1000 before turning 18. In the end, the child won the fight between the two Indians on Chinese soil, and the teenager went on to the event’s preliminary round.
In spite of the teenager’s fierce defence, Sindhu, who had defeated world No. 6 Tomoka Miyazaki in the round before, played faster in the second game and pulled even. After winning the last two points and forcing a decider, Sindhu maintained her composure. Unnati maintained her composure and started the last game with fresh determination in spite of the late defeat at the finish of the second game. Prior to the change of ends, she had a five-point lead. Unnati Hooda dominated the last few points to advance to the BWF Super 1000 event’s quarterfinals, despite Sindhu’s valiant efforts to close the gap to two points at 15–13.
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