BWF World Junior Championships 2022 badminton: Sankar Muthusamy in quarter-finals; Unnati Hooda bows out

Unnati Hooda exited the women’s singles event at the World Junior Badminton Championships 2022 in Santander, Spain on Thursday, but S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian kept India’s hopes alive by making the men’s singles quarter-finals.

The 14-year-old Unnati Hooda lost to Japan’s Hina Akechi 17-21, 21-12, 18-21 in her round of 16 clash while S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian beat Thailand’s Nachakorn Pusri 21-15, 21-13.

Unnati Hooda, world No. 5 in the junior badminton rankings and the fifth seed in the tournament, struggled to read Hina Akechi’s crafty drop shots early in the first game and fell behind 11-7 early.

The 14-year-old, however, recovered and managed to draw level soon. The game was tight right till the end but Akechi found an extra gear right at the end to take the first game.

Unnati Hooda, who became the youngest Indian to win a BWF Super 100 title after claiming the Odisha Open women’s singles title in January, came roaring back in the second game and dominated her Japanese opponent to draw level.

In the decider, the Indian teenager started well but eventually slipped up to crash out.

Later in the day, S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, the highest-ranked Indian men’s singles player at world No. 4, beat Thailand’s Nachakorn Pusri to keep India’s medal hopes alive in the competition.

The fourth-seeded Indian will face China’s Hu Zhe An, who beat countryman Wang Zi Jun 21-16, 21-19 in his pre-quarterfinal clash, in the final eight.

Following Thursday’s results, S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian remains the only Indian still alive in the competition.

Former world No. 1 Saina Nehwal is the only Indian to win the junior world championship crown to date while rising star Lakshya Sen was India’s last medallist at the event with a bronze in 2018.

The BWF World Junior Championships were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The junior championships conclude on October 30.