By the time Unnati Hooda stepped onto Court 1 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, she already had a fresh example of what could be achieved at the World Championships. A day earlier, 21-year-old Ayush Shetty had faced defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in his first-ever World Championships match. Despite being handed one of the toughest possible opening-round draws, the Indian youngster stunned the Chinese star 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 to record the tournament's biggest upset so far.
Unnati had watched the match, and Ayush's victory gave her an extra boost ahead of her own senior World Championships debut.
“Yeah, he's my good friend, and he played really well yesterday. Definitely, he won against the No. 1 seed here, so it really gives everyone confidence,” the 18-year-old said after her hard-fought first-round victory.
“Just remember who you are and give it your all on the court. There is one versus one, anybody can lose and anyone can win. So just believe in yourself.”
On Tuesday, following a night's rest after Ayush's stunning victory, Unnati had her own challenge to overcome. The 18-year-old spent 40 minutes defeating Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16 in the women's singles first round. It was a more competitive contest than she may have anticipated, but Unnati remained composed enough to finish the match in straight games.
And, as has been the case throughout much of her career, her father was there beside her.
FATHER BY HER SIDE
Upkar Hooda occupied the coach's chair, having trained his daughter for the past decade. His presence is familiar to Unnati, but competing on the World Championships stage made having that trusted voice in her corner particularly valuable as she dealt with the occasion, nerves and a difficult court.
The opening game remained closely contested. Unnati led 11-10 at the interval, but Thet continued to stay within touching distance. Unnati had to remain patient and cope with the drift before eventually taking the game 22-20.
The second game initially looked far more comfortable for the Indian. She played with greater aggression, executed her backhand flicks effectively and kept Thet under pressure. Unnati quickly established a 16-5 advantage and began experimenting with different shots.
That briefly gave her opponent an opening.
A series of unforced errors allowed Thet to put together a run of points. Upkar's instructions from the coaching chair grew louder. Unnati had built a sizeable advantage, but now she needed to finish the match without allowing her opponent back into it.
“With such a lead, I was trying to play a few of my strokes, try my variations. He also said try them. But then I made some silly errors. He quickly told me, ‘No, no, just focus and play (your normal game),’” Unnati said.
The advice had the desired effect. She regained her composure and wrapped up the second game 21-16.
Her father has played a major role in getting her to this point. He left his job to support her badminton ambitions, and Unnati has trained under him for the past 10 years, with coach Parvesh Kumar also contributing significantly to her development.
A BIG TEST AWAITS
The next challenge, however, will require more than familiarity and support from home.
Unnati is currently India's second-highest-ranked women's singles player and belongs to a growing group of young Indian shuttlers looking to break into the upper tier. Devika Sihag, Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, Rakshita Sri and Anmol Kharb are among those making their presence felt, increasing the importance of consistency as Unnati seeks to establish herself at the highest level.
She has already achieved an early milestone, becoming the youngest Indian to win a BWF World Tour Super 100 title at just 14. Her next challenge is to produce such performances consistently.
Her second-round opponent will be Canada's Michelle Li, who is 13 places higher in the rankings and 16 years older than Unnati. A reigning Pan American champion, Li brings considerable experience of major tournaments and has already defeated Unnati in their only previous meeting, at the 2024 Arctic Open.
Unnati is aware of the challenge ahead.
“I just want to focus on my game tomorrow, give my all, 100 per cent, be there and just enjoy it because it's going to be a good match,” she said.
If there was one lesson from her opening match that she wanted to carry forward, it was patience.
“I think being really patient is one thing I'll just keep in mind. I did that today also, in the last half of the first game, and it really helped me. So, keeping my nerves in control.”
There is also another example from within the Indian camp that she can draw inspiration from.
Ayush had lost all three of his previous encounters with Shi Yuqi, including a heavy defeat in the Badminton Asia Championships final in April. Yet when the two met on the World Championships stage on Monday, Ayush defeated the world No. 1.
Unnati witnessed that result. Now, as she prepares to face another far more experienced opponent, she has a straightforward belief to carry with her:
One versus one. Anybody can lose. Anyone can win.
