Sixth seed Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam ended India’s hopes of an all-Indian final at the Taipei Open 2026, defeating Unnati Hooda 21-15, 21-18 in the women’s singles semifinal to set up a title clash against fellow Indian Tanvi Sharma.
Hooda, ranked World No. 28, had been chasing her first-ever BWF World Tour semifinal win of the season, having already reached the last four for the first time in 2026. She had earlier booked her spot in the semifinals with a hard-fought 23-21, 21-16 win over compatriot Devika Sihag in an all-Indian quarterfinal on Friday.
With the Asian Games on the horizon, India’s campaign in Taipei delivered a mixed outcome but Tanvi’s run has given the team plenty to build on.
India’s challenge in the men’s singles also came to an end, with Kiran George the country’s last remaining player in the event following HS Prannoy’s exit in the round of 16 going down 21-12, 21-10 to fourth-seeded Japanese shuttler Yudai Okimoto in the quarterfinals. India’s men’s doubles campaign had already wrapped up earlier in the week, with Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu eliminated in the opening round.
Tanvi Sharma Enters Maiden Taipei Open Final
Indian teenager Tanvi Sharma advanced to the women’s singles final of the Taipei Open Super 300 with a commanding straight-games win over fifth seed and home favourite Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei, triumphing 21-17, 21-11 in just 33 minutes at the Taipei Arena on Saturday.
The 17-year-old from Punjab, currently ranked World No. 34, was in full control throughout the semifinal, giving the home crowd little opportunity to mount a comeback. It marked her second BWF Super 300 semifinal appearance of the season, having previously reached the last four at the Orleans Masters a run that underlines her consistency on the World Tour this year.
Tanvi’s path to the final included a testing quarterfinal against fourth seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand, where she recovered from dropping the second game to win 21-15, 18-21, 21-14 in a 54-minute battle.
She will now face Nguyen Thuy Linh in Sunday’s final, after the Vietnamese sixth seed eliminated Unnati Hooda in the other semifinal.