Unnati Hooda joins An Se Young in exclusive list after reaching second round of China Open 2025

Unnati Hooda grabs headlines with shock win over PV Sindhu in R16.

India’s teenage badminton prodigy Unnati Hooda scripted a new chapter in her young career by defeating Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour 21-11, 21-16 in the opening round of the China Open 2025 Super 1000 tournament. With a 36-minute straight-games win, Unnati became just the second player in history to win a Super 1000 match before turning 18.

With this result, the 17-year-old joined South Korea’s An Se Young in an elite club. An-se had reached the Round of 16 at the China Open back in 2019 when she was also 17, marking the beginning of her meteoric rise.

Unnati’s victory over World No. 29 Gilmour, especially after coming back from 8-13 down in the second game, showed nerves of steel and exceptional maturity under pressure.

Unnati will now face fellow Indian shuttler PV Sindhu in the next round, setting up a high-profile all-Indian clash that guarantees India a place in the quarter-finals of this Super 1000 event. It is a huge opportunity for Unnati, not just in terms of rankings, but in experience and exposure against a two-time Olympic medalist.

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While Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki made headlines by reaching the final at the China Open in 2024, she had already turned 18 by the time the tournament was held in September. Unnati, born on 20th September 2007, remains 17 during this edition, making her progress even more notable.

Currently ranked World No. 35, Unnati has been in terrific form throughout 2025. She reached the semi-finals of the Taipei Open, quarter-finals of the German Open, and was runner-up at the Singapore International Challenge.

Her path this season has included wins over the likes of Anupama Upadhyaya, Hung Yi-Ting, Saena Kawakami, and others, showing she can handle players across styles and regions.

With two BWF Super 100 titles already to her name—the Odisha Open in 2022 and Abu Dhabi Masters in 2023, Unnati has been steadily building her case as India’s next big singles talent. Now, with a breakthrough at one of badminton’s biggest stages, she is making it clear that she belongs among the very best.

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