PV Sindhu falls to junior player at China Open 2025

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu suffered a surprising defeat against her younger compatriot, Unnati Hooda, in the second round match of China Open 2025 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Changzhou.

The Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist — had to acknowledge Hooda’s superiority with a score of 16-21, 21-19, 13-21 in an intense battle.

In the first game, Sindhu was under pressure — trailing 10-11 before managing to level the score at 13-13, but Hooda then pulled away to close the game at 21-16.

Sindhu bounced back in the second game with her aggressive play — taking an 11-9 lead at the interval and eventually winning the game 21-19 despite a tense moment when the score was tied at 19-19.

Unfortunately, the 30-year-old shuttler’s performance declined in the deciding game — trailing from the start and unable to catch up, ultimately surrendering with a score of 13-21.