Badminton Asia Championships 2025
Badminton Asia Championships 2026: Ayush Shetty stuns World No. 7; PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy advance to round 16
(Courtesy : BAI)
Lakshya Sen was knocked out in the opening round itself.
India’s rising star Ayush Shetty, former World Champion PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy progressed to the pre-quarterfinals at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 currently ongoing at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in China.
US Open 2025 champion Ayush Shetty produced a major upset, defeating World No. 7 and Hong Kong Open 2025 champion Li Shi Feng of China in straight games, 21-13, 21-16, in 51 minutes.
Despite Li’s strong start in both games, the Indian youngster dominated the later stages to advance to the round of 16. In the opening game, Ayush fought back early to level at 4-4, with Li holding a slight edge until 7-7. From there, Ayush overpowered the home favourite to take the game 21-13.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Li pressing hard early on. Ayush fought back to level the score multiple times and took charge at 13-13, winning six straight points to close out the match 21-16. He will next face Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei.
PV Sindhu defeated Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in women’s singles 15-21, 21-11, 21-19 in 1 hour and 7 minutes. She will next face World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China in the pre-quarterfinals both having 3-3 win-loss in past meetups.
In men’s singles, HS Prannoy beat Nguyen Hai Dang of Vietnam 24-22, 21-12 in 47 minutes. He will meet Hong Yang of China in the pre-quarterfinals after the latter received a walkover in the opening round.
Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Malvika Bansod and Tanvi Sharma exited in the opening round.
Where is Badminton Asia Championships 2026 taking place?
The tournament is being held at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre in China from April 7 to 12.
Who did Ayush Shetty defeat in round 1 of Badminton Asia Championships 2026?
Shetty beat World No. 7 and Hong Kong Open champion Li Shi Feng of China 21-13, 21-16 in 51 minutes in the opening round.
Which other Indian shuttlers advanced to the second round of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026?
Apart from Shetty, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also advanced to the pre-quarterfinals.
Which Indian shuttlers exited the competition in the opening round?
On Wednesday, Lakshya Sen was the biggest Indian shuttler to be knocked out. He was joined by Kidambi Srikanth, Malvika Bansod and Tanvi Sharma.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
Alex graduated in mass communication in 2016 and has been covering global sports for Khel Now since then. He is covering sports tech, igaming, sports betting and casino domain from 2017.