Guwahati Masters 2023: Unnati Hooda aims to break into top 50 of BWF rankings with good performance
(Courtesy : Badminton Association of India)
The 16-year-old is currently ranked 79th in women’s singles.
International badminton is returning to the Assamese capital after a gap of 17 years and rising badminton star Unnati Hooda, who has won all the BWF Super 100 tournaments played so far in India, hopes she can break into the top 50 of the BWF rankings with a win in Guwahati Masters 2023.
She had earlier set a modest target of breaking into the top 100 in the BWF World Ranking by the end of this year. But the 16-year-old has already surpassed that target with back-to-back titles in Abu Dhabi and Raipur and is hoping to get within touching distance of the top-50 spot with a strong showing at the Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters 2023 Super 100 tournament that begins here with the qualifying rounds on Tuesday.
Currently ranked 79th in the world, Hooda will open her campaign against Stephanie Widjaja of Indonesia in the inaugural edition of the competition that has attracted some top international stars including Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen and Supanida Katethong among others.
“Our target this year was to only break into the top-100 world ranking. But I managed to finish second in the Infosys Open in Bengaluru and won titles in Abu Dhabi and Chattisgarh and I was able to achieve that goal quickly. I have prepared well for this tournament and I am hoping that a good run here will inch me closer to the top-50 mark,” said Hooda, who also reached the second round of the Syed Modi Super 300 meet in Lucknow last week.
Indian Sports Live Coverage on Khel Now
- India vs USA Live Updates: Women’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024
- Malaysia Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag creates history, becomes first Indian to reach final
- Rohan Bopanna kickstarts the 2024 season with runner-up finish at Adelaide International
- Asian Olympics Qualifiers 2024: Vijayveer Sidhu secures India’s 17th shooting quota
- Australian Open 2024: Sumit Nagal becomes first Indian to enter singles main draw of a Grand Slam since 2021
- Aman Sehrawat clinches gold in 57kg freestyle at Zagreb Open Ranking Series 2024
- List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024
Speaking about the experience, Hooda said getting to play against a player of the caliber of former world champion Nozomi Okuhara was a fantastic experience for her and she aimed to find consistency in her play like these top stars.
“In some tournaments I play well but in some, I don’t. I am continuing to find that balance between training and tournaments in consultation with my coaches to ensure that I become more consistent next year,” she added.
The city hosted the first India International Challenge back in 2007. The Super 100 event on the BWF Tour is one level above the Challenge event and will provide players like Hooda valuable ranking points if she does well here.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
- Lee Zii Jia qualifies for BWF World Tour Finals 2024
- Badminton: Lakshya Sen vs Lee Zii Jia last five meetings, head-to-head
- BWF Japan Masters 2024: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details
- Putri Kusuma Wardani achieves career-best position; India's PV Sindhu suffers drop in latest BWF rankings
- Japan Masters 2024: Full list of players who have withdrawn from BWF 500 tournament
- BWF Japan Masters 2024: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details
- Full list of players who have qualified for BWF World Tour Finals 2024
- BWF Japan Masters 2024: Live streaming, TV channel, where and how to watch?
- What has gone wrong with Lakshya Sen's form post Olympics?
- Indian Sports Calendar November 2024: Hockey ACT, FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, ATP Finals, India's tour of South Africa and more