Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Hooda begins BWF Worlds with win; Indian doubles pair exits
A badminton player named Unnati Hooda played in a big world championship for the first time.
She is 18 years old and comes from India.
In her first match, she played against Thet Htar Thuzar from Myanmar.
The match was close at first, and Unnati won the first game 22-20.
In the second game, Unnati was winning by a lot, 11-1.
But she started trying new shots and made silly mistakes.
Her coach told her to stop experimenting and just focus.
Unnati listened and won the second game 21-16.
Next, she will play Michelle Li, a strong player from Canada.
Another Indian pair, Rohan and Ruthvika, lost their match, so they are out of the tournament.
Unnati Hooda won her BWF World Championships debut, beating Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Hooda briefly relaxed after leading 11-1 and had to be told by her coach to "focus and play" before closing out the match.
The 18-year-old admitted errors in the first game but recovered by adapting with tosses and better drift control.
India's mixed doubles pair Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde lost 22-20, 19-21, 17-21 to Canada's Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai.
Kapoor said the pair lost focus in the second game despite beating the Canadians in straight games last year.
Hooda will next face 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada in the second round.
- Who
- Indian shuttlers Unnati Hooda, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, along with opponents from Myanmar and Canada.
- What
- Hooda won her BWF World Championships debut match, while the Kapoor-Gadde mixed doubles pair exited in the opening round.
- When
- Tuesday.
- Where
- Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
- Why
- Hooda aims to build momentum in her maiden World Championships campaign, while the doubles pair lost focus and surrendered a one-game lead.
- Event
- BWF World Championships
- Venue
- Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium
- Hooda's result
- Beat Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16
- Hooda's age
- 18 years
- Hooda's next opponent
- Michelle Li (13th seed, Canada)
- Kapoor-Gadde result
- Lost 22-20, 19-21, 17-21 to Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai
- Doubles match duration
- 1 hour 8 minutes