Asian Games 2026: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda's exit ends India's badminton challenge
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Indian badminton contingent will return from the Asian Games with only one medal
PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda drew blank in the individual categories, while Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto cut a sorry figure in the doubles as the Indian challenge in the Asian Games 2026 ended in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Indian badminton contingent had clinched three medals at the last edition in Hangzhou, with the men’s team bagging silver, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty returned with gold, and HS Prannoy finished with a bronze in the men’s singles category.
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Sindhu loses to Tokyo Olympic gold medalist
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PV Sindhu, forced to play her third match in 24 hours due to a cramped schedule, lost to Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Chen Yu Fei 21-11, 18-21, 10-21. The 31-year-old Indian had a 7-9 head-to-head record against her Chinese rival.
Sindhu showed no signs of fatigue and dominated early on to move from 9-2 to take an 11-8 lead at the mid-game break.
The Chinese showed a bit of resilience to narrow the lead to 10-13, but Sindhu continued to add to her momentum, taking a 18-11 lead before closing the first game.
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Chen, however, made a better start after a change of ends to take a 9-5 lead. But Sindhu clawed back to equalize at 9-9. The two-time Olympic medallist continued to be on level terms with the opponents at 12-12 and 16-18.
Both the shuttlers battled out long rallies with an average of 43 shots. Later, Chen earned two game points to force the match into a decider.
Sindhu displayed some fightback in the decider after Chen took an early 4-0 lead. It was not to be for the Hyderabad shuttler as Chen won 10 of the next 11 points to knock out the Indian.
Unnati Hooda loses to three-time World Champion
Unnati, 19, went down 16-21, 21-14, 17-21 to three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in another quarter-final.
The Indian teenager was troubled early on by the Japanese producing a variety of strokes. Yamaguchi took control of the proceedings and took eight straight points from 3-4 to 11-4 at the break.
Later, the Indian tried to set up an attacking display but couldn’t handle the pressure built up by Yamaguchi. The Japanese ended a long rally at 14-8 with another disguised drop before earning four game points and converting the first to take the opening game.
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The Indian displayed some resilience in the second game as she clawed back to 7-7 with her precise shot-making ability.
Yamaguchi made some errors in the latter half of the game, with Unnati seizing the opportunity to take eight successive points and force a decider.
The decider started on a neck-and-neck note with the shuttlers tied at 5-5 before Yamaguchi moved ahead 8-5.
Unnati kept fighting the long rallies, but Yamaguchi maintained her advantage. A few unforced errors towards the end allowed the experienced Japanese to seal the match.
Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand loses in straight games
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand‘s fine run came to an end as they lost to the World No. 5 pairing of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the women’s doubles quarterfinals.
The World Championships bronze medallist dished out a competitive first game, but some unforced errors saw them lose 18-21, 9-21 against the 2025 World Championships silver medallists.
Treesa and Gayatri fell 3-8 behind before scripting a fine recovery to draw level at 10-10 in the first game.
Both pairs played out an attacking badminton game tied at 14-14. However, a lapse caught the Indians napping at the front court, followed by a few more errors, as Pearly and Thinaah moved 17-14 ahead.
The Indian seemed to be making a comeback before Treesa found the net to hand them four game points. Towards the end, some strong smash from the Malaysians did the trick.
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Treesa and Gayatri went up 3-0 after the change of ends, but the Malaysians started drawing errors from the Indians to surge to a 7-3 lead.
It then went downhill for the Indians as they trailed 4-11, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
Thinaah and Pearly extended their lead to 13-6, with both Treesa and Gayatri committing far too many errors. The Malaysians soon had 12 match points. Pearly hit the net before Gayatri sprayed one wide.
Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto force a decider
India’s mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out after losing to the world No. 1 pair China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping.
Feng and Huang started strongly and controlled the opening game. They held a 11-9 advantage at the mid-game interval before extending their lead after the break. The Chinese pair eventually took the game 21-14, leaving India needing to win the next two games to stay in the competition.
Dhruv and Tanisha responded impressively in the second game. They stayed close to their opponents during the crucial exchanges and managed to take control towards the end. The Indian pair won the second game 21-18, forcing a deciding third game.
The Chinese pair made a strong start to the decider and opened up a 12-6 lead. Dhruv and Tanisha refused to give up and gradually reduced the deficit. They eventually came within 16-17, putting pressure back on the world No. 1 pair.
However, Feng and Huang held their nerve during the closing exchanges. They won the deciding game 21-18 to seal the match and advance to the semifinals.
Who did PV Sindhu lose to in the women’s singles quarter-finals at Asian Games 2026?
Sindhu lost to Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Chen Yu Fei in a three-game battle, 21-11, 18-21, 10-21, in a match where fatigue from playing her third match in 24 hours may have played a role.
Which Indian pair came closest to an upset in the badminton quarterfinals?
Mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto pushed World No. 1 pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping the closest, winning the second game and narrowing the gap to 16-17 in the decider before losing 21-14, 18-21, 21-18.
How does India’s badminton showing at Asian Games 2026 compare to Hangzhou 2022?
India had won three medals in Hangzhou — a men’s team silver, a men’s doubles gold for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, and a men’s singles bronze for HS Prannoy — but this year’s campaign ended without a medal after all four quarterfinal exits.
What were India’s results in badminton on Day 8 (September 27) at Asian Games 2026?
WD: Treesa jolly/Gayatri Gopichand lost to Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (18-21, 9-21)
WS: Unnati Hooda lost to Akane Yamaguchi (16-21, 21-14, 17-21)
XD: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto lost to Yan Zhe Feng/Dongping Huang (14-21, 21-18, 18-21)
WS: PV Sindhu lost to Chen Yu Fei (21-11, 18-21, 10-21)
How many medals did India win in badminton at Asian Games 2026?
India finished their campaign with just one medal—the bronze in men’s team event.
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