Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2022: Unnati Hooda enters pre-quarterfinals
Seven Indian singles players and one doubles team progressed in the junior championships on Wednesday.
Top seed Unnati Hooda marched into the pre-quarterfinals of the under-17 women’s singles event at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2022 in Nonthaburi, Thailand on Wednesday.
The Odisha Open champion won 21-7, 21-11 against Indonesia’s Dea Nur Fadilla. Anmol Kharb, also competing in the u-17 women’s singles, also secured a confident 21-12, 21-19 win over Thailand’s Ratnacha Sompoch to progress into the pre-quarterfinals.
In the men’s under-17 singles, fifth-seeded Dhruv Negi secured a hard-fought 21-14, 17-21, 21-15 victory over Thailand’s Panya Phutthiphraisakul to move into the pre-quarterfinals.
Neer Nehwal was the lone Indian shuttler to end up on the losing side in the men’s under-17 category. He lost to Japan’s Kazuma Kawano 21-11, 9-21, 19-21 in the round of 32.
In the under-15 singles, five Indians progressed to the round of 32.
Mohammad Ali and Gnana Dattu secured victories in straight games. While Mohammad Ali beat Thailand’s Paramat Pumleng 21-16, 21-18, Gnana Dattu got the better of Hong Kong’s Cheung Sai Shing 21-11, 21-13.
Anish Thoppani, on the other hand, thwarted a late comeback and beat ninth-seed Maharishiel Gain of Indonesia 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.
The under-15 women’s singles category saw fifth-seeded Ishita thrash Lada Na Nakorn of Thailand 21-9, 21-12. Sampriti Pal outplayed Japan’s Ria Haga in a 21-16, 21-16 win.
Meanwhile, men’s player Abhinav Garg and women’s singles players Suhasi Verma and Tanvi Sharma, were knocked out.
In the U-15 men’s doubles opening round match, the Indian duo of Bjorn Jaison and Aathish Sreenivas PV beat Sri Lanka’s Mihila Jayaweera and Janeesha Sethuhewa 21-18, 21-17.
The Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2022 will end on December 4.