India’s Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma booked their places in the women’s singles semifinals of the Taipei Open on Friday, delivering quarterfinal wins in contrasting styles. Hooda came through an all-Indian clash in straight games, while Tanvi edged a three-game battle to reach the last four. In men’s singles, Kiran George’s run ended at the quarterfinal stage.
The results keep India’s women’s singles challenge alive deep into the tournament, with two players now one win away from the final. Hooda’s victory also ensured an Indian presence in the semifinals from a quarterfinal that featured two compatriots, while Tanvi’s win came in a longer, more gruelling contest.
Quarterfinal results: Hooda holds nerve, Tanvi wins in three
Hooda clinched a straight-game 23-21, 21-16 victory over compatriot Devika Sihag to reach the last four. The quarterfinal began with a fiercely contested opening game, where Hooda managed the key moments to take it 23-21.
In that first game, Hooda surged to an 11-3 lead before Sihag mounted a spirited comeback to level at 21-21. With the game on a knife-edge, Hooda kept her composure in the closing exchanges, winning the next two points to seal the opener 23-21.
In the second game, Hooda maintained her momentum and capitalised on her leads to close out the match 21-16. The report noted Hooda as the third seed and Sihag as the eighth seed, with Hooda completing the win in 42 minutes to move into the semifinals.
Tanvi, meanwhile, came through a three-game quarterfinal against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong, winning 21-15, 18-21, 21-14 in 54 minutes. After taking the first game 21-15, Tanvi dropped the second 18-21, setting up a deciding third game. She then finished strongly to take the decider 21-14 and secure her semifinal spot.
In men’s singles, Kiran George was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Japan’s fourth seeded Yudai Okimoto. George lost 21-12, 21-10 in 33 minutes, ending India’s challenge in that section of the draw for the day.
What’s next at the Taipei Open
Hooda’s next opponent will be determined by the remaining quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-chian and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh, with Hooda set to face the winner in the semifinals.
With Hooda and Tanvi both advancing, India will have two representatives in the women’s singles semifinals, underlining a strong day for the country in that discipline at the Taipei Open. George’s defeat, however, meant there was no Indian semifinalist from the men’s singles quarterfinals mentioned in the report.
