Taipei Open 2026 Day 4: Unnati Hooda & Tanvi Sharma Ent…

The quarterfinals stage saw Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma make it into the semi-finals with contrasting victories, while Kiran George got knocked out of the Super 300 Taipei Open 2026, played in Taipei on 31^st July. 

Unnati Hooda defeated Indian counterpart Devika Sihag in two straight games. Hooda began the first game with aggression, keeping Sihag struggling and not allowing any chances for Sihag. At the mid-game break, Hooda had a commanding 11-3 lead. After the interval, Hooda was looking to take the first game away from her opponent, but Sihag showed tremendous courage and skills, fighting back with attacking shots, keeping Hooda under trouble. 

Sihag fought back with great skills, keeping Hooda in trouble and levelling the scores at 20-20. Hooda held her nerves to win the first game with a 22-20 scoreline. 

The second game began with both players fighting for each point, as none of them wanted to give away. It was a closely fought affair, as both players showed skills, as Hooda took a 11-9 lead at the break. After the interval, Sihag made a solid impression with a solid comeback, but it was not enough, as Hooda kept hitting attacking shots and maintaining momentum, winning the 2^nd game comfortably by 21-16 to move into the SF. She will face the 6th-seeded Nyguen of Vietnam.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/india-s-contention-at-taipei-open-super-300

Tanvi Sharma stunned the 4th-seeded Supinda Kathenong of Thailand in three games. Kathenong began the initial stages of the first game on a positive note with a 3-0 lead before Tanvi showed attacking moves, keeping the Thai player in trouble. The match ebbed and flowed as both players took alternate points. At the mid-game interval, Tanvi took a slender 11-10 lead. After the interval, Tanvi maintained the momentum, keeping Kathenong under trouble, taking points in succession and not allowing any chances to her opponent. The Indian eventually won the first game by 21-15.

The second game saw again Kathenong begin on a positive note, keeping Tanvi under trouble. Tanvi committed a few unforced errors as the Thai maintained a decent lead before the Indian showed fighting spirit. At the mid-game break, Kathenong took a 11-8 lead. After the interval, Tanvi tried her best to reduce margin, but the Thai player held her nerves to win 2^nd game by 21-18.

Tanvi showed attacking skills right from the word go in the third and deciding game keeping Kathenong under trouble. The Indian looked impressive, making fewer mistakes, ensuring that she put the Thai player in trouble. At the mid-game break, Tanvi had a dominating 11-6 lead. After the interval, despite Kathenong efforts, the Indian put on a great effort to win the third and deciding game by 21-14 to move into the SF. She will now face 5th-seeded Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei. It will be a historic moment for Indian badminton fans if Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda can win their respective semi-finals bouts tomorrow. Both will be high on confidence to reach the grand finale.  

It was curtains as Kiran George lost to 4th-seeded Yuki Okimoto of Japan in two straight games. George began the first game on a positive note with an initial lead before Okimoto upped her style of play. Both players fought for each point till 6-6 before the Japanese showed domination, keeping George under trouble. At the mid-game break, Okimoto had a commanding 11-6 lead. After the break, it was one-way traffic, as the Japanese never let George under the game-winning 21-12 scoreline. 

The second game also began with both players fighting for each point before Okimoto showed his domination, keeping George under serious trouble. It was a dominating performance by the Japanese with a 11-6 lead at the break. After the interval, Okimoto maintained his momentum and won easily by 21-10 scoreline to move into the SF. 

George had a decent tournament till the quarterfinals. He defeated higher-ranked Wang P-w of Chinese Taipei during the first round before winning his pre-quarters match against Tharun Mannepalli in two straight games with the scoreboard read 21-15, 21-16. 

It promises to be a great semi-finals action with Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma looking to make a mark against strong players. Unnati will look to get past his Vietnam opponent, while Tanvi will be eager to perform against the 5th-seeded Huang and move into the grand finale. If these young Indian shuttlers make it into the grand finale, it will be a big morale booster, and I hope to do the country proud with stunning performances in SF tomorrow.

Results of Indian Shuttlers QF (Super 300 Taipei Open 2026) 

1. Unnati Hooda defeated Devika Sihag (Women’s Singles) – 22-20, 21-16 

2. Tanvi Sharma defeated Supinda Kathenong (Women’s Singles) – 21-15, 18-21, 21-14 

3. Kiran George lost to Y Okimoto (Men’s Singles) – 12-21, 10-21.