China Open 2025: Unnati Hooda's sensation run ends with quarter-final defeat

17-year-old Unnati Hooda’s dream run at China Open 2025 ended in the quarterfinals.

Unnati Hooda’s remarkable campaign at the China Open 2025 came to an end on Thursday, as the Indian teenager suffered a straight-games defeat to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles quarterfinal. The 17-year-old went down 16-21, 12-21 in just 33 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Xincheng Gymnasium in Changzhou.

Facing the third seed and former World No. 1, Hooda held her ground in the early stages of the opening game. The two players were level at 9-9 before Yamaguchi raised the tempo, exploiting gaps in Unnati’s defense and executing tight net shots to pull ahead.

A pivotal five-point spurt provided Yamaguchi a 17-12 lead, and even though Hooda tried her best to keep up, the Japanese sensation sealed the match 21-16.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Hooda showing brief signs of resurgence but struggling to maintain consistency. Yamaguchi continued to dominate the rallies with her court coverage and tactical precision.

After leading 10-9, she produced a six-point burst that put the match firmly out of Hooda’s reach. The 21-12 result reflected Yamaguchi’s control and experience, as she marched into the semifinals.

Despite the loss, Unnati’s performance this week has been a big breakthrough. Her unexpected win over PV Sindhu in the previous round was one of the biggest achievements of her young career. With this win, she became the youngest Indian to reach the quarter-finals of a Super 1000 event.

She leaves Changzhou with valuable experience and the promise of a bright future on the international circuit. Two-time World champion Yamaguchi remains one of the favourites for the title and will next face second seed An Se-young in the semifinals.

Later in the day, the country’s top-ranked men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the quarterfinals.

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