Top Indian shuttlers have received a mixed draw for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen getting relatively favourable starts, while Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty faces a formidable opening round against defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China.
PV Sindhu believes badminton's new 15-point scoring format will favour attacking players but will also be physically and mentally demanding. The BWF's approved system will be implemented from January 2027.
World No. 1 Yamaguchi, however, had to toil hard to get across three-time world champion and Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain 21-17, 14-21, 21-19 in the day's first match at the IG stadium in New Delhi.
Saina Nehwal breezed into the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open, scoring a 21-15, 21-17 victory over Japan's world No. 2-ramked Akane Yamaguchi on Thursday.
Devika Sihag, who won the Thailand Masters Super 300 title last week, acknowledged the role of PV Sindhu and coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama in her triumph
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty outclassed Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia in straight games to enter the semi-finals of the China Open Super 100.
As New Delhi prepares to host the BWF World Championships from August 17-23, 2026, five young talents - Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Alwi Farhan, Tomoka Miyazaki, and Kalyana Nalbantova - are identified as potential breakout stars capable of challenging the sport's biggest names and redefining their careers.
Lakshya Sen stunned world No 2 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in straight games
Sindhu assured herself of a medal in the Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu eked out a thrilling win over China's He Bing Jiao to enter the singles semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships in Manila on Friday.
Shi Yuqi will face Lee Chia-hao in the men's singles final at the All England Open Badminton Championships, while Wang Zhiyi will compete against An Se-young in the women's final, after they won their semi-finals on Saturday.
Indian mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto suffered a straight game loss to Hong Kong's fifth-seeded duo of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Friday.
This was their third semifinal appearance on the BWF Tour this season, having earlier reached the last four at the Singapore Open and India Open.
Denmark's Viktor Axelsen and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi's dominance continued as they stayed on course for a second successive title.
Sen, who had broken the three-year jinx of first-round exits in the tournament when he defeated Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh on Wednesday, succumbed in the pre-quarterfinals against Hong Kong-China's Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-22, 15-21 in 53 minutes.
Olympic medallists Abhinav Bindra and PV Sindhu have praised Lakshya Sen for his performance at the All England Open badminton championship, highlighting his courage and resilience despite his runner-up finish.
The other semi-final will feature France's Alex Lanier, who beat Taiwan's Wang Tzu-wei 21-19, 21-13, and Lee Chia-hao of Taiwan who defeated Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-9, 21-18.
Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and promising shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat bowed out of the Badminton Asia Championships in the pre-quarterfinals, while mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the last eight
Tai, who has played with both knees in braces in Paris, had previously opened up about an issue with her left knee.
Top seed and 2018 winner Shi Yu Qi of China dispatched Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-13, 21-8 while compatriot Li Shi Feng, world number six, came from behind to beat Canadian Brian Yang 21-11, 18-21, 21-16.
India's badminton ace P V Sindhu entered the summit clash of BWF World Tour Finals with a hard fought win over Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the semi-finals, in Bali, on Saturday.
World No. 3 Sindhu thrashed Yamaguchi 21-9, 21-13 in just 36 minutes to top Group A in women's singles at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium. This was her last group stage match.
Sindhu battled hard before going down to Akane Yamaguchi 18-21, 15-21.
Sindhu, seeded third, was not at her usual best and trailed her Japanese opponent from the start in both the games.
Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu made a winning start to the Badminton Asia Championships with a straight-game win over Ester Nurumi Wardoyo of Indonesia in the women's singles while Lakshya Sen made an early exit from the men's singles draw in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday.
India's two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu romped into the women's singles semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament with an easy victory over Turkey's Neslihan Yigit, in Bali, on Friday.
Sindhu has been off colour this year, struggling for form.
The 24-year-old from Amalapuram expressed his gratitude to his partner for being there during this challenging time.
Sen has a 4-2 head-to-head record against his final opponent Li Shi Feng, the reigning All-England champion. Sen had defeated him recently at the Thailand Open.
Srikanth, Prannoy enter pre-quarters; Aakarshi knocked out
Malvika Bansod continued her fine form as she cruised to her maiden Super 1000 quarterfinal after eking out a hard-fought victory against higher-ranked Kristy Gilmour in the China Open in Changzhou on Thursday.
The double bronze medallist at claimed a 21-8, 15-21, 21-16 over second seed Yamaguchi in a thrilling semi-final contest
Just like in her campaign opener against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi on Wednesday, Sindhu squandered a game advantage to lose yet again in the year-ending BWF World Tour Final
Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Korea's An Seyoung emerged men's and women's singles champions respectively at the India Open Super 750 tournament.
Srikanth made a good start in the second game, moving to 7-3 advantage but Lee once again turned the tables, jumping to 13-9 and kept his nose ahead to eventually shut the doors on the Indian.
This is the first time that Sindhu has lost to a fellow Indian in an international event in seven years.
Sindhu will play her opening match on Sunday, while B Sai Praneeth and the men's pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be in action on Saturday.
India's challenge at the Japan Open ended with Sai Praneeth's losing to top seed and home hero Kento Momota in the semi-finals, in Tokyo, on Saturday. The Indian lost 18-21, 12-21 in 45 minutes.
Indian women shuttlers advanced to the Badminton Asia Team Championship quarter-finals despite a 1-4 loss to Japan in which P V Sindhu notched the country's only win Alor Setar, Malaysia, on Thursday.
The 19-year-old Indian came up with a splendid display but it was not enough to prevent him doing down 17-21, 21-16, 17-21 after 55 minutes.
Saina Nehwal squandered four match points in her singles match as a young Indian women team bowed out of the Uber Cup Final after being hammered 0-5 by five-time champions Japan in a Group A match, in Bangkok.
