Unnati Hooda Wins on World Championships Debut, Sets Up Michelle Li Clash in New Delhi

Unnati Hooda made a winning start to her BWF World Championships debut in New Delhi, overcoming Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16 in the women's singles Round of 64 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Indian, ranked 26th in the world, had to negotiate a tense opening game before finding greater control in the second. Thet Htar Thuzar, ranked 140th, pushed Hooda throughout the opening game, but the Indian held her nerve when it mattered most, saving a game point before eventually closing out the contest 22-20. The second game was more straightforward, although Hooda briefly allowed her opponent back into the contest after establishing a commanding advantage. She eventually regained her composure to win 21-16 and book her place in the Round of 32.

It was a significant moment for the young Indian, who had been carrying the expectations that come with making her World Championships debut on home soil.

The opening game demonstrated exactly why first-round matches at a World Championships can be difficult. Hooda had to adjust to the conditions and the drift at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, with the two sides of the court playing differently. Rather than forcing the pace immediately, she spent the early stages understanding the conditions and working out how much power and variation she could use.

The game remained closely contested throughout its closing stages. Hooda eventually found herself under pressure with game point against her, but she produced the composure required to save it before taking the game 22-20. That narrow escape gave the Indian an important psychological advantage.

“I feel like it was a good match, and I'm happy that in the first half, I was able to control the drift pretty well,” Hooda said after the match. She acknowledged that she made some errors towards the end of the second half of the game and felt that she may have rushed some points.

“But then I controlled myself,” she added.

From 11-1 to another test of composure

Hooda appeared to have taken complete control of the second game. After the change of ends, she raced to an 11-1 lead, putting herself in an ideal position to close out the match comfortably. However, the teenager briefly took her foot off the pedal.

With the match seemingly under control, Hooda began experimenting with some of her strokes and allowed Thet Htar Thuzar to regain confidence. The Myanmar player capitalised on the opening and reduced the deficit to 16-20. At that stage, Hooda's coach delivered a simple message from the sidelines: “No, no, just focus now and play.”

Hooda responded immediately. She stopped overcomplicating her game, regained her concentration and closed out the second game 21-16. It was an important lesson within an otherwise successful debut at this level, even a substantial lead can disappear quickly.

Ayush Shetty's upset adds confidence

Hooda's victory also came against the backdrop of one of the biggest results of the tournament so far. Earlier in the competition, fellow Indian youngster Ayush Shetty stunned defending world champion Shi Yuqi, producing a major upset on the opening day. That result has given the Indian contingent additional belief that even the most difficult opponents can be beaten.

Hooda admitted that Shetty's victory had given Indian shuttlers confidence. Her own approach for the next round will be based on the same belief. “It's one versus one. Anybody can lose and anyone can win. So just believe in yourself,” Hooda said, reflecting on the mindset required at the World Championships.

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Hooda's reward for her opening-round victory is a significantly tougher assignment. She will face Canada's Michelle Li in the Round of 32. Li brings considerable international experience and is a former Commonwealth Games champion. The Canadian has spent years competing against the world's best and will provide Hooda with a very different challenge from her opening-round opponent.

For Hooda, however, the first-round match has already given her valuable experience of the conditions. “Tomorrow I'll be playing against Michelle, so I'll prepare well for the match,” she said. The Indian knows the court better now, having experienced the drift from both sides. “I played today, so I got an idea of the court and everything, but we cannot say anything because the drift can change sometimes,” she explained 

That uncertainty means Hooda will have to adapt once again.

For an 18-year-old playing her first World Championships match, Hooda showed several qualities that will be important as she progresses through the tournament. She handled a tight opening game, recovered after allowing a big second-game lead to disappear and finished the match without needing a decider. Most importantly, she gained experience of the conditions and the pressure of playing a World Championships match in front of a home crowd.

The next challenge will be considerably greater. Michelle Li will test Hooda's consistency, patience and ability to maintain her level through longer stretches of a match. But after successfully navigating the nerves of her debut, the Indian will enter the Round of 32 with one win already secured and a growing belief that she can compete with anyone on the other side of the net.

Her message after Ayush Shetty's upset could well define her own campaign:

Anybody can lose. Anybody can win. Just believe in yourself.

For Hooda, the World Championships journey has begun with exactly that belief — and a first win to match it.