Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 18: India’s Unnati Hooda advanced to the women’s singles second round of the BWF Badminton World Championships after defeating Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar in straight games at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Unnati was pushed hard in the opening game but held her nerve to win 22-20. She then produced a stronger display in the second game, securing a 21-16 victory to complete the win.
The Indian shuttler will next face 13th-seeded Michelle Li of Canada in the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, India’s Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were taking on Turkey’s Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas in the mixed doubles first round. The Indian pair won the opening game 21-16.
Later in the evening, star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will begin his men’s singles campaign against Austria’s Collins Filimon.
In women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face the United States’ Lauren Lam and Allison Lee in the second round. Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will also be in action against Bulgaria’s Stefani Stoeva and Gabriela Stoeva.
Earlier, India’s Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde were knocked out of the mixed doubles after losing to Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai in the first round.
The Indian duo won the opening game 22-20 but could not maintain the momentum, losing the next two games 19-21 and 17-21.