Unnati Hooda’s China Masters campaign came to an early end on Tuesday after the Indian shuttler suffered a straight-games defeat against South Korea’s World No. 12 Kim Ga Eun in the opening round.
Kim produced a commanding performance to secure a 21-10, 21-18 victory, with Unnati showing a much stronger challenge in the second game after struggling to find her rhythm in the opener.
The Korean took control almost immediately, building a sizeable advantage as Unnati struggled to keep pace. Kim raced to an 11-3 lead at the first-game interval and maintained her dominance after the break.
There was little respite for Unnati as Kim continued to dictate the exchanges and moved to 20-10. She then converted the opportunity to take the opening game 21-10 and move within one game of a place in the next round.
Unnati responded positively at the start of the second game. Playing with greater aggression, she opened up a 3-0 advantage as she attempted to force her way back into the contest.
Kim gradually recovered and drew level at 8-8 before moving ahead again. The South Korean held an 11-9 advantage at the interval, but unlike the opening game, Unnati remained firmly in contention.
The contest became much closer after the break, with both players battling for control and neither managing to pull comfortably clear. Unnati continued to apply pressure and fought back to level the game at 13-13, keeping alive her hopes of forcing a deciding game.
Kim eventually proved stronger when it mattered most. She managed to edge ahead during the closing exchanges and held off Unnati’s challenge to take the second game 21-18, completing the straight-games win and ending the Indian’s run at the tournament.
India also suffered a setback in the men’s doubles earlier in the day. World No. 24 Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun were unable to complete their opening-round contest against China’s World No. 10 combination Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi.
The Indian pair retired at the interval of the first game, bringing their China Masters campaign to a premature conclusion.
