Taipei Open 2025: Indian campaign ends as Ayush, Unnati exit in the semifinals

The impressive runs of young Indian shuttlers Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda came to an end in the semi-finals of the 2025 Taipei Open Super 300 tournament, held at the Taipei Arena, Chinese Taipei, on Saturday.

Ayush Shetty, 20, put up a spirited fight against top seed and home favourite Chou Tien Chen but eventually fell short in straight games (18-21, 17-21) in a closely contested 42-minute encounter. Despite creating opportunities in both games, Ayush was unable to capitalise in the closing stages, with a flurry of unforced errors proving costly.

Nonetheless, it was a commendable campaign for the youngster, who is on the cusp of becoming India’s No.2 in the BWF rankings after defeating two higher-ranked opponents on his way to the semi-finals.

Tomoka's Defensive masterclass led to Unnati's exit

In women’s singles, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda also exited at the semi-final stage, going down to world No.8 and top seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in straight games (19-21, 11-21).

Unnati made a promising start, surging to a five-point lead at the first mid-game interval in the opening game. However, Tomoka responded with a display of exceptional defensive resilience, neutralising Unnati’s attacking play and forcing errors.

The Indian teenager struggled to regain momentum after losing the first game and faded in the second, as Miyazaki closed out the match convincingly.