Asian Games 2026: Sindhu, Ayush, Unnati advance; Lakshya bows out in second round
Indian badminton players P.V. Sindhu, Ayush Shetty, and Unnati Hooda have advanced to the next rounds of the 2026 Asian Games. Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen was eliminated in the second round after a loss to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.
Why it matters
The Asian Games are a major multi-sport event, and these results reflect the current competitive standing of Indian athletes on the continental stage.
Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and young shuttler Ayush Shetty notched up straight-game wins to progress to the singles prequarterfinals but Lakshya Sen suffered a second-round exit at the Asian Games here on Saturday (September 26, 2026).
World No. 11 Sindhu, who won her maiden Super 750 title at Japan a few months back, saw off Chinese Taipei’s world no. 17 Chiu Pin-chian 21-19 21-14 in the women’s singles second round.
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Sindhu, who had received a bye in the opening round, will face Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki next.
Ayush, a finalist at Badminton Asia Championships, brushed aside Kazakhstan’s Makhsut Tajibullayev 21-7 21-7 in the second round to set up a meeting with third seed Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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