Unnati’s BWF World Championships debut ends in Round-of-32

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Unnati Hooda’s campaign at her debut BWF World Championships ended in the second round after the Indian suffered a close, hard-fought loss at the hands of Michelle Li of Canada on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Indian, agonisingly close to shocking her higher-ranked Canadian opponent, suffered a heartbreaking 21-11, 9-21, 21-23 defeat in a match that lasted just under an hour here at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

Unnati had come in the second round after a hard-fought straight-games win over Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16. In 2025, she picked up one of the biggest wins of her career when she defeated the two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu at the China Open.

Unnati had a solid start as she pocketed four points in quick succession, making her intentions clear early in the game to take a 4-1 lead. The Indian maintained her advantage, heading into the interval with a three-point cushion at 11-8 in the opening game.”

A risky gamble by Li at the net cost Unnati the point and her serve, but the Indian still held a comfortable lead. Unnati made her experienced opponent work for every point before closing out the opening game in style.

Unnati carried the confidence from the opening game into the second, starting with a 3-1 lead. However, momentum shifted in Li’s favour in the blink of an eye as the Canadian marched ahead 6-4 and headed into the mid-game interval with an 11-5 advantage. Unforced errors from Unnati allowed Li to elevate her game and take the second set 21-9

“In the decider, the Indian fought hard and found some brilliant winners along the way. She earned five points on the trot to take a 5-4 lead. While both players made mistakes around the net, Unnati held a slender 10-9 advantage.

Just one rally later, poor shot selection brought Li level at 10-all, leaving Unnati in disbelief. The match remained evenly poised at 19-all before a clever deception and a solid smash gave Unnati match point opportunity at 20-19. However, she was unable to convert. A misjudged shot at the crucial moment allowed Li to fight back and close out a 23-21 win, handing Unnati a heartbreaking loss on her World Championships debut.

–IANS

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