BWF Worlds Live: Unnati Hooda loses 2nd game, dragged into decider

Live blogBadminton World Championships Live, August 19: India's 18-year-old Unnati Hooda suffers a heartbreak. Tough one for the Haryana shuttler. She goes down 21-23 in the final game. Michelle Li used all her experience to pull through this.BWF World Championships Live, August 19. (Reuters Photo) Hello and welcome to India Today's coverage of the BWF World Championships being hosted in New Delhi. India have several athletes playing in the championships on August 19, Wednesday. Stay tuned as we bring you the live updates from the court. ...Read MoreAug 19, 2026 16:21 ISTBWF World live: Heartbreak for Unnati Hooda That was tough. Unnati Hooda lost the final game 21-23. She gets a standing ovation from the home crowd. Michelle Li lets out a roar. She was not happy with the line judges. Important win for her. A valiant effort from the 18-year-old Indian. She will learn a lot from this. She was not able to close it out in the end despite having a match point. A tough fight, a tough game. Aug 19, 2026 16:17 ISTGame 3 live: Thriller in Delhi. It's 19-19Unnati Hooda has done so well so far. It's 19-19. Will the experienced Michelle Li find a way?Aug 19, 2026 16:16 ISTGame 3 live: Michelle Li is fuming with the chair umpireThe tide is going Unnati Hooda's way. Michelle Li is not happy with another line call. Unnati pushed it to the back court and Li felt the shuttle had gone out. She is on her knees arguing with the chair umpire. There are no reviews on Court 3. Courtesy: BWF YT Aug 19, 2026 16:12 ISTBWF Words live: Unnati Hooda leads 16-14Better judgement of the shuttle from Unnati Hooda this time. She is inducing errors from Michelle Li, who has been hitting it long. Can the home crowd carry her through this home stretch? Aug 19, 2026 16:07 ISTBWF Live: Unnati Hooda takes 11-10 lead in the interval Unnati Hooda is not rushing through things. This has been an evenly-fought third game so far. Michelle Li is not allowing Unnati to run away with it like how she did in the opening game. Michelle Li has been better at the end from this end in the third game. The energy of the crowd is certainly lifting Unnati. She seals the lead at the mid-game interval with a overhead cross-court drop. Aug 19, 2026 16:03 ISTGame 2 live: Unnati Hooda pulls ahead with 8-6 leadUnnati Hooda is finding her range. Good effort this from the young shuttler. She has been so good from this side of the court. The combination of pushing Li back and then mixing the attacking move with smashes and drops are working again. She has kept it pretty simple. She is leading 8-6 in the decider. The crowd has found its voice back. Aug 19, 2026 15:58 ISTGame 3 live: Unnati off to a slow start from the better endUnnati Hooda has not started well. She is down 1-3. Once again, Michelle Li is dominating the game from the front court. Unnati has not been able to push her behind like she did in the opening game. From this side of the court, Unnati needed a solid start. Aug 19, 2026 15:55 ISTLive: Unnati loses the second game 0-21A pretty resigned performance that from Unnati Hooda. Michelle Li bounced back strongly after losing the opening game. Up and down and sideways drift here on Court 3. There were a couple of occassions when Unnati was not able to judge the shuttle when it landed in on her forehand side. The youngster appeared lost towards the end of that game. She was not looking to push it too much, knowing there will be a decider. It will be interesting to see how she starts from the better end. She needs a lead to ensure Li is under pressure. All set for Game 3. Aug 19, 2026 15:47 ISTBWF Worlds live: Unnati falls 5-11 behind at mid-game intervalPlenty of unforced errors. Unnati Hooda is apparently struggling with the drift in the far side. She has not been able to keep them inside the ln. Some of those shots have looked a bit careless. Michelle Li has made a strong comeback after losing the opening game. This looks set to go to the deciding game. It will be interesting to ask Unnati about the drift from this end at the end of this match. We will bring you that from the post-match chat with her. Aug 19, 2026 15:44 ISTGame 2 live: Unnati Hooda trails 4-7, Li taking the early initiativeEarly initiative from Li. She is making Unnati move end to end more. From this end of the court, she is able to find the lines. A couple of unforced errors from Unnati Hooda. The home crowd is cheering her on. Unnati can't afford to fall behind a lot. Aug 19, 2026 15:37 ISTBWF Worlds live: Unnati Hooda wins first game 21-11That's as comprehensive as it can get. A terrific game from Unnati Hooda. She left 13th seed MIchelle Li jaded. If that performance is anything to go by, Unnati is making a big statement here. She played a varied game, not allowing Li to settle into any kind of rhythm. She was sensational at the net and used her smashes at the right time. She had a 11-8 lead at the mid-game interval and then raced through to the finish line, winning 10 of the next 13 points played. Li was not happy with a couple of close line calls. And the home crowd is firmly backing the 18-year-old. Aug 19, 2026 15:36 ISTGame 1 live: Unnati Hooda races past, takes 17-8 leadA run of six straight points for Unnati Hooda. Michelle Li is feeling the heat. She is not able to find the lines. Meanwhile, Unnati is having fun with her game. She is mixing good smashes and deft touches. The crowd is backing Unnati. "Common India," chants ringing loud at the IGI Stadium in New Delhi. Can Unnati close this out? Aug 19, 2026 15:35 ISTBWF Live: The home crowd making life difficult for LiWell, Michelle Li was not happy with the line judge's call when a push from Unnati Hooda was called in. It looked a little close as Li decided not to return and let it go. But, the shuttle fell inside. Li was not happy and she immediately rushed to the chair umpire to let her feelings known. The home crowd did not give its approval to Michell Li. They let her know. Courtesy: BWF YouTube Aug 19, 2026 15:32 ISTBWF live: Unnati Hooda leads 11-8 at mid-game interval of Game 1Well, this is nice from the young shuttler. Shehas been quite proactive in the opening game. She was leading 6-3, but then Michelle Li made it 6-6. Now, she has raced to a 3-point lead at 10-7. Unnati has used the depth of the court well. She has made some high lifts and then played deft drops to ensure Li is caught at the front of the court. Unnati is constantly talking to her coaches as she goes into the break with a 3-point lead at 11-8. Aug 19, 2026 15:24 ISTBWF live: Unnati Hooda races to a 3-0 lead in Game 1Some deft touches already from Unnati Hooda. A healthy home crowd on Wednesday afternoon is rooting for her. She is looking switched on. At the net, some delightful touches already. Pressure early on 34-year-old Li. Aug 19, 2026 15:19 ISTBadminton live: Unnati Hooda vs Michelle Li up nextBig roar for Unnati Hooda as she makes her way into the court. She is 18. She takes o Michelle Li of Canada, who is 33. Experience vs Youth. This will be a big test for Unnati. But, Unnati has taken confidence from Ayush Shetty's giant-slaying run. Aug 19, 2026 15:14 ISTMR Arjun/Amsakarunan crash out of BWF WorldsDespite a spirited fight, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan crash out of the BWF World Championships. The second round is what they will make to this year. The Indian duo lose to South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju in straight games. Unnati Hooda is up next. Aug 19, 2026 15:06 ISTUnnati Hooda set to be in action in the next matchYoung women's singles player Unnati Hooda is set to be in action in the next game. Indians have not played any matches in the Court 3, but it is expected that Unnati will be fine with adjusting to the drift. Unnati's will have to punch above her weight as she takes on Michelle Li of Canada. Unnati is ranked 23 in the world right now, while Li is ranked 13th. Aug 19, 2026 15:00 ISTBWF Worlds Live: India fight back against KoreaMR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan are hitting back strongly against the South Koreans. There is high intensity in their smashing as they try to nuetralise the lead taken by the Koreans in the second game of the match. But despite their best efforts, the Koreans are playing exceptionally well and have taken a lead of 10-6 in the second game. Aug 19, 2026 14:54 ISTMR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan in actionIndia's men's doubles pair MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan are in action right now. They are playing South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju. The Koreans are ranked 15th in the world, so it is going to be an uphill battle for them, today. The Indian duo have lost the first game of the match but by a narrow margin. The South Koreans are hitting their smashes, dep into the corners of the court and are catching the Indians off balance. It has been a good fight so far, but the Indians have lost 17-21 in the first game. Aug 19, 2026 14:43 ISTBWF World Championships Live: When are India's matches?India are playing 6 matches one after the other. Well they are actually playing 5 because Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been given a walkover by their Scottish opponents. At the moment, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan are playing their men's doubles match against South Korea on Court 3. Young Dhruv Kapila is up next on the same court. None of the matches will be broadcast on TV, neither will they be streamed on JioStar. Aug 19, 2026 14:39 ISTIndia's matches in BWF Worlds: Where to watch?Well, usually you would have watched it on Star Sports, but not all matches are being broadcast today. We are at the BWF World Championships, and you can follow our blog if you want to follow the games. Aug 19, 2026 14:38 ISTIndia at Badminton World Championships LiveDhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto won in their morning game. It was the only game India had in the morning session. The hosts have 6 matches right now, one after the other, where not all games will be broadcasted.Aug 19, 2026 14:31 ISTIndia's matches at BWF World Championships todayIndia are playing 7 matches in the BWF World Championships today. 1. Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto win 21-11, 21-11 vs Leong/Chi. 2. MR Arjun/Hariharan Amsakarunan play Hyuk/Ju 3. Unnati Hooda plays Michelle Li (13) 4. Lakshya Sen plays Garret Tan 5. Ayush Shetty plays Daminsdu Aberwaickrama 6. PV Sindhu plays Wen Yu Zhang 7. Satwik/Chirag get walkover from Dunn/Pringle Aug 19, 2026 14:22 ISTBadminton World Championships LiveHello and welcome of India Today's live coverage of the VWF World Championships. Today is August 19, and we are setting ourselves up for second round of competitions today.