Unnati Hooda eliminated in first round of China Masters as Shi Yuqi suffers another early exit
Unnati Hooda was beaten in the opening round of the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen on 2026-09-01, going down 10-21, 18-21 to South Korea’s Kim Ga Eun in a 37-minute match on Court 1, while former world No. 1 Shi Yuqi also bowed out in the first round, losing to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. India’s men’s doubles pair MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan withdrew from their first-round match against China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi while trailing 8-11 in the opening game.
The China Masters, described in the source as a major tune-up event ahead of the Asian Games, produced a mixed day for India. Hooda entered the tournament ranked No. 31 and was part of India’s Asian Games selection as the second women’s singles player alongside PV Sindhu. Hooda had reached the second round at the World Championships in New Delhi and came close to defeating Canada’s Michelle Li there. Kim Ga Eun is ranked No. 12 in the world.
Hooda struggled from the far end in the first game as Kim surged to an 11-3 lead and maintained control to take the opener 21-10. The lack of decisiveness in Hooda’s play was highlighted by her inability to reduce Kim’s advantage, leaving Kim in command throughout the first game. The scoreline and the 37-minute duration reflect a match that did not swing back in Hooda’s favour.
Hooda showed more aggression in the second game, using lifts to push Kim into the backcourt and finding winners while looking more confident at the net. She recovered to draw level at 15-15, but Kim then regained the initiative and closed out the match 21-18, completing a straight-games victory. The loss ended Hooda’s bid to build momentum in Shenzhen.
Shi Yuqi’s defeat to Loh Kean Yew was his second successive first-round exit at major events, coming a week after he was eliminated in the opening round of the BWF World Championships by India’s Ayush Shetty. The report identifies Shi as a former world No. 1 and notes the continuity of his early-round struggles in this stretch of events. The men’s doubles withdrawal by MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan occurred while they were trailing 8-11 to Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the opening game.
World No. 1 An Se Young, who won the World Championships title in Delhi last week, began her China Masters campaign with a straight-games win over China’s Lin Hsiang, ranked No. 17, defeating her 21-11, 21-13. Among other Indian entries, Tanvi Sharma, who has risen to a career-high world No. 13, is scheduled to play Denmark’s Amalie Schulz, ranked No. 40, and Devika Shaig, ranked No. 33, will meet Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova on Wednesday.
India’s men’s singles pair Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth are set to start their China Masters campaigns on Wednesday, with Lakshya slated to face Canada’s Victor Lai and Srikanth due to play Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen.