Unnati Hooda’s brilliant Hylo Open run ends In the semifinals

India’s Unnati Hooda’s impressive Hylo Open 2025 campaign came to an end in the women’s singles semifinals on Sunday, as the 17-year-old went down 7-21, 13-21 to Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Despite the straight-game defeat, the young Indian can take immense pride in her performance throughout the week at the USD 475,000 Super 500 tournament, where she showcased remarkable maturity and composure against higher-ranked opponents.

Earlier on Friday, Unnati had scripted one of the standout wins of her young career by defeating fourth seed Hsiang Ti Lin of Chinese Taipei 22-20, 21-13 in a 47-minute quarterfinal clash. Ranked World No.34, Unnati outplayed Ti Lin — ten places above her in the BWF rankings — with sharp net play, smart placement, and calm under pressure.

That victory also helped the teenager avenge her defeat to Ti Lin at the Malaysia Masters earlier this year, sealing her first Super 500 semifinal appearance and underlining her growing stature on the international circuit.

Unnati’s run in Saarbrücken comes as another strong statement from India’s next generation of shuttlers. However, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and Kiran George all bowed out following hard-fought quarterfinal losses in the men’s singles draw.

With her fearless performances in Europe, Unnati continues to emerge as one of India’s brightest young prospects, signalling that the future of women’s badminton remains in safe hands.