'I feel it is my second home'- Unnati Hooda praises Odisha after securing a place in quarter-finals of the Odisha Masters 2023
India’s rising badminton star Unnati Hooda continued to impress at the big stage as she beat Ashmita Chaliha 21-18 and 21-16 to secure her place in the quarter-finals of the Odisha Masters 2023.
Following her win in the round of 16 clash, she shed light on why playing at Odisha Masters for the second time has been so special for her.
“Odisha Masters is very close to my heart. After winning last year, the door was open for me to participate in international tournaments. Odisha has been very lucky for me. It feels great to come back here as I feel it is my second home,” said Unnati.
Hooda has been outperforming her opponents quite easily in the ongoing competition and is on course to win her second consecutive Odisha Masters title.
The ongoing Odisha Masters 2023 is currently being held at the JN Indoor Stadium in Cuttack. The 16-year-old badminton star had earlier beaten Uganda’s Husina Kobugabe with a score of 21-10 and 21-18 in the round of 32 clash.
Unnati Hooda made headlines for the first time after she became the youngest Indian badminton player to win a BWF Super 100 World Tour title.
Following her win against Smit Toshniwal in straight games, she won the Odisha Open 2022 at the age of just 14. Coming from a humble background, Unnati described that moment as life-changing.
“I am impressed with the facilities provided to all the players here”- Unnati Hooda
The 16-year-old Badminton star also heaped praise on the facilities provided by the tournament organizers in Odisha and shed light on the importance of competing against the best players in the world.
“I am impressed with the facilities provided to all the players here. From world-class courts to all other arrangements for the players, the tournament organizers have done a good job keeping the smallest of details in mind,” said Unnati.
“With India hosting such a big tournament, it is a platform for so many players including us to compete against the best in the world. We have players from 30 countries here, so it is good for the budding players to learn from them and inculcate the same in their game,” she added.
Unnati Hooda was born in Chamaria village in Rohtak, Haryana. She began learning the sport in the Badminton academy run by Parvesh Kumar at the Chhotu Ram Stadium. The stadium is famously known for producing wrestlers such as Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, among others.