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3 min readApr 8, 2026 09:41 PM IST
Unnati takes on the Japanese wunderkid Tomoka Miyazaki on Thursday. (PTI/FIle Photo)
There was no fancy strike-making and shot-playing. Just the willingness to put her head down, endure the punishing rallies that are an everyday 9 to 5 of international badminton, stay persistent and never give up. Unnati Hooda showed the rigour to retrieve unreservedly, and defeated Thailand southpaw Supanida Katethong at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) late in Ningbo on Wednesday.
Unnati takes on the Japanese wunderkid Tomoka Miyazaki on Thursday.
The 72-minute marathon ended 23-25, 21-8, 21-18 in favour of the Indian. Unnati had gotten herself into the ditch, fluffing a 19-12 lead in the opener to lose the first set 23-25. She had frittered 4 set points. But she dug herself out of that lapse of focus, and literally put her head down to plot her upclimb. She defended tenaciously, keeping a good whip on her defenses, but most importantly, picked the short drops that the World No 11 Supanida tends to play to the forecourt
The Indian, ranked No 27, has been spoken of as the first of the crop of youngsters who can take the baton from PV Sindhu. Coached by her father, Unnati is capable of wildly swinging inconsistencies – she lost the World Junior finals, but had earlier defeated Sindhu at China. But you can’t deny her the effort she puts in to kill all signs of flashy strokes, and stick to a disciplined game, playing within her limitations.
It was this often-boring rigour she brought to the court against Supanida. Light on her feet, Unnati’s defense achieved what was needed. She also seemed to have read the drift conditions well and didn’t get adventurous playing to the lines.
Her fitness ofcourse allowed her to play the monotony of exchanges, most of which involved her sweeping the shuttle with the backhand, recovering back to T, scurrying to the back and making fewest errors. All this after she had blundered to hand over the first set from a comfortable position. It showed in the second, when Supanida hardly offered any resistance and that set was collected in a jiffy.
Unnati led unchallenged till 13-10 in the second. The Haryana youngster had stemmed her habit of losing several points in a cluster. But Supanida upped the ante to reach 13-13. It looked like the 18-year-old, ten years younger than the Thai leftie, would be blown away at 15-17. But it was her defensive determination that cracked Supanida’s momentum. One looping return that went long and then another smashed wildly brought parity at 18-all. But it was 5 straight points to Unnati from 16-18, drawn out from playing on the Thai’s patience that gave her the win.
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In a women’s doubles match, India’s second best doubles pairing of Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam prevailed 21-15, 17-21, 21-13 over Vietnamese Pham-Pham.
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
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