Paris, Oct 22 – Eleven‑year‑old Unnati Hooda is sharpening her edge on the world stage, making the pre‑quarterfinals of the French Open Super 750 in Cesson‑Sevigne on Wednesday. The 18‑year‑old Indian shuttler rebounded from a 21‑11 loss in the first game to win 21‑13, 21‑16 over Malaysia’s Letshanaa Karupathevan in the women’s singles round of 16. Hooda’s sharp net play and powerful smashes kept her in control after the early setback, earning her a spot in the last 16.
India’s hopes for the tournament went a step lower for men’s singles. Ayush Shetty fell 19‑21, 19‑21 to Japan’s Koki Watanabe. The young Indian had a close match, but could not finish key points. Her loss is one in a series of early exits for India this week.
Other Indian women’s singles players also saw early defeats. Anupama Upadhyaya was edged 15‑21, 11‑21 by China’s Han Yue, while Anmol Kharb was beaten 15‑21, 9‑21 by South Korea’s world No. 1 An Se‑young. Lakshya Sen had a tougher day in men’s singles, losing straight games 7‑21, 16‑21 to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. The 29th‑ranked Nhat avenged a recent loss to Sen from the Denmark Open.
The tournament’s top Indian doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, are set to open their campaign in the round of 32. They will face the Indonesian duo Rahmat Hidayat and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, aiming to push further into the bracket.
India’s growing badminton talent remains test‑tuned as the event moves forward, with a new generation of players taking their first steps onto the world stage.
Source: ianslive
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