Unnati Hooda Advances to Semifinals as Indian Players Exit Hylo Open 2025

Men's Singles Journey Concludes

The men's singles segment of India's campaign at the Hylo Open 2025 badminton tournament came to an end on Friday in Saarbrucken, Germany. Top seeds Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and Kiran George faced defeats in their quarterfinal matches. However, Unnati Hooda stood out by securing a remarkable victory against the fourth-seeded Lin Hsiang-Ti from Chinese Taipei, becoming the sole Indian player to reach the semifinals of this BWF Super 500 event.

Shetty's Early Exit

Ayush Shetty, ranked 31st in men's singles, was the first to bow out, losing a nail-biting three-set match to Finland's Kalle Koljonen with scores of 19-21, 21-12, and 20-22. Earlier in the tournament, Shetty had triumphed over 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew from Singapore in straight games.

Lakshya Sen's Defeat

Lakshya Sen, who holds the top rank among Indian men's singles players at 17th, was eliminated by world No. 16 Alex Lanier, with the match concluding at 21-17, 14-21, and 21-15.

Unnati Hooda's Impressive Performance

Unnati Hooda showcased her talent by defeating Lin Hsiang-Ti with scores of 22-20 and 21-13 in a match lasting 47 minutes. This victory is particularly significant as Hooda had previously lost to Lin in the first round of the Malaysia Masters earlier this year. She is now set to face top-seeded Indonesian player Putri Kusuma Wardani for a chance to compete in the finals. This marks Hooda's second semifinal appearance on the 2025 BWF World Tour, having also reached the last four at the Taipei Open Super 300 tournament in May.

Further Exits for Indian Players

Kiran George's journey ended with a loss to the second seed Jonatan Christie from Indonesia, with scores of 21-10 and 21-16. Kiran is the son of Commonwealth Games silver medalist George Thomas. Additionally, Rakshitha Sree Ramraj's campaign in the women's singles also concluded. After defeating compatriot Shriyanshi Valishetty in three games on Thursday, Rakshitha lost to sixth seed Line Christophersen of Denmark with scores of 21-7 and 21-19.