Unnati Hooda, in a defining moment of her fledgling career, stunned two-time Olympic Games medallist and India's badminton stalwart PV Sindhu in a gripping three-game contest to storm into the quarter-finals of the China Open Super in Changzhou Thursday.

Facing her decorated compatriot for only the second time, 17-year-old Hooda held her nerves in crunch moments to register a sensational 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 victory in 73 minutes, ensuring her maiden quarter-final appearance at a Super 1000 event.

This is the first time that Sindhu has lost to a fellow Indian in an international event in seven years, the last being the 2018 Commonwealth Games final loss to Saina Nehwal. She had lost to Saina in the 2019 National Championships final as well.

The teenager from Rohtak, who has won Super 100 titles at the 2022 Odisha Masters and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters, will next take on Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, the third seed and a two-time world champion.

Hooda said she was surprised by the win. “I didn't expect that I would win today (Thursday),” Hooda said after the match.

“But I came thinking that I would give my all. Whatever the match result (would be), (it) will be in the last thing, so winning against her, it's surprising for me too.”

“I am happy that I was able to win against her. It was a very tough match for me,” she added.

Hooda said she was determined to remain patient through the course of the game.

“I wasted my two Hawkeye challenges. I don't remember the exact score, but maybe it was 17-18. I was leading by a point and it was totally out. I didn't have any challenge left, so it was a little bit frustrating for me,” she said.

"Then she took control of the shuttle and dominated the second game. I also tried my best but couldn't win. But I kept the patience level with myself in the third.”

“When the side changed, I was ready to play long rallies and long matches from the start of the third game,” Hooda added.

Sindhu said it was tough to control the shuttle. “It was a bit hard to control the shuttle. That's what I felt because the court also made a difference. In the third game she took a lead and then maintained that,” she said.

Talking about Hooda, Sindhu said, "It's good for her. I wish her all the very best and she's done well for herself. She's coming up, so I wish her all the best.”

The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also displayed tactical discipline and composure to notch up a 21-19, 21-19 victory over the eighth-seeded Indonesian combination of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana and progress to the quarter-finals.

It was, however, the end of the road for HS Prannoy, who bowed out after a hard-fought 21-18, 15-21, 8-21 loss to sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in a 65-minute men's singles second-round match.

Sindhu, ranked world No. 15, came into the match on the back of a solid win over Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki but found herself outplayed by Hooda's speed, precision, and unrelenting energy.

In a match that featured high-octane rallies, momentum shifts, and moments of brilliance from both ends, it was Hooda’s fearless approach that made the difference.

From 13-all, Hooda surged ahead with four straight points before sealing the game 21-16, leaving Sindhu on the back foot.

Doubles delight Earlier, the duo of Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the key junctures.

The opening game saw the Indonesians leading 14-12, but Satwik-Chirag surged ahead with a five-point streak to take control.

"It was quite a topsy-turvy match. We didn't really have a big lead at any point. Eventually, around 16-something, we got 3–4 points in a row and managed to close it," Chirag said.

"We're definitely feeling better," he added.