China Masters: Unnati Hooda exits in first round

Indian badminton players faced early exits at the China Masters in Shenzhen. In the women’s singles opening round, 18-year-old Unnati Hooda was defeated in straight games by South Korea’s world No. 12 Kim Ga-eun. Kim won the match 21-10, 21-18 in 37 minutes, maintaining control throughout the first game and overcoming Hooda’s resistance in the second.

In the men’s doubles category, the Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun also saw their campaign end prematurely. The duo retired during their opening match against China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi while trailing 8-11 in the first game. The specific reason for the retirement was not immediately clarified, though it appeared to be fitness-related.

Several other Indian players, including Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth, are scheduled to begin their campaigns at the Super 750 tournament on Wednesday.