Women’s top seed Unnati Hooda, world junior championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma, experienced shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap, and rising junior Rounak Chauhan recorded impressive victories to progress in the 87th Senior National Badminton Championships on Wednesday.
Match Performances
Unnati, who received a bye in the first round, overwhelmed wildcard entrant Akanksha Matte with a score of 21-8, 21-18. Meanwhile, Tanvi opened her campaign successfully, defeating Asian U-15 girls singles gold medallist Shaina Manimuthu 21-10, 21-14.
Aakarshi advanced by defeating Asian U-17 championships silver medallist Lakshya Rajesh 21-7, 21-9. Ashmita Chaliha also progressed, winning against Kavya Marvaniya with a score of 21-7, 21-11.
Notably, 16th seed Purva Barve was the only seeded player to exit, losing to M Meghana Reddy 21-19, 17-21, 18-21 in the Round of 64.
Men’s Singles Highlights
In the men’s singles, 11th-seeded Rounak Chauhan triumphed over Ranveer Singh 21-9, 21-13. Additionally, 12th-seeded D. S. Saneeth secured his spot in the next round by defeating Ankit Mondal 21-7, 21-11.
16th seed and Guwahati Masters Super 100 champion, Sanskar Saraswat, kicked off his campaign with a solid 21-11, 21-13 win against Shikhar Rallan.
Recent Achievements
Earlier this month, Unnati Hooda and Kiran George clinched the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Odisha Masters 2025, a BWF World Tour Super 100 tournament held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cuttack.
In the women’s singles final, top seed Hooda displayed a composed performance to defeat compatriot Isharani Baruah 21-17, 21-10 in just over half an hour. Hooda controlled the match from the start, stifling Baruah’s momentum. Despite the defeat, Baruah had a memorable week, earning a well-deserved silver medal following a series of impressive performances.
The men’s singles final featured an intense showdown, with second seed Kiran George overcoming Indonesia’s Muhamad Yusuf in a thrilling three-game battle. George took the first game 21-14, but Yusuf fought back to equalize.