Shenzhen
India’s Unnati Hooda suffered an early exit from the China Masters after the 18-year-old lost in straight games to South Korea’s world No. 12 Kim Ga-eun in the women’s singles first round at the Shenzhen Sports Centre Gymnasium on Tuesday.
The world No. 25 Indian went down 21-10, 21-18 in 37 minutes in their first BWF World Tour meeting. Kim, who arrived in China after winning the Macau Open in June, controlled the opening game from the outset.
The Korean raced to a 4-0 lead and extended her advantage to 11-3 at the interval. Unnati struggled to establish a rhythm as Kim continued to dictate the rallies, eventually closing out the game comfortably.
The second game was more competitive. Unnati started strongly and moved 3-0 ahead before Kim recovered to take a 7-5 lead. The Indian fought back and regained the advantage at 15-14, setting up a tense finish.
Kim, however, held her nerve in the closing stages. After trailing 18-16, she levelled the score and then won the next three points to seal victory.
The defeat comes soon after Unnati’s World Championships debut in New Delhi, where she reached the second round. She remains one of India’s promising young players.
India also suffered disappointment in men’s doubles, with MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan retiring while trailing 8-11 in the opening game against China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi.
