India continued its strong performance at the Asian Games, securing gold medals in both men's and women's Kabaddi, a historic silver in marathon by Sawan Barwal, and advancing to squash finals. The day also saw mixed results in shooting, athletics, and badminton, contributing to India's growing medal tally.
Unnati Hooda humbled fourth seed Hsiang Ti Lin of Chinese Taipei in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Hylo Open on Friday.
India will aim to continue their quest for a second title when they face Japan in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals. India progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A and will face Japan, who, like them, have won the title once.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto progressed to the second round of the Badminton Asia Championships, while Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani exited in the first round.
India's Ayush Shetty defeated world No. 7 Lin Shi Feng at the Badminton Asia Championships, while PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also advanced. Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth exited in the opening round.
Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships has positioned him as a potential men's singles contender for India, boosting the nation's badminton prospects as they prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Olympic heartbreak sapped motivation, fitness reset and mental clarity revived game: Lakshya
Lakshya Sen entered his first major final in two years after edging out Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen in straight games, while the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stormed into the summit clash.
Ayush Shetty defeated world No. 7 Li Shi Feng at the Badminton Asia Championships, while PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also advanced. Other Indian players faced setbacks in the opening round.
The Sports Ministry has approved a 492-member Indian contingent, comprising 265 male and 227 female athletes, for the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Athletics forms the largest group with 73 participants, including star athletes like Neeraj Chopra and Jyothi Yarraji. Other prominent sports like shooting, weightlifting, badminton, boxing, and wrestling also feature strong teams, with some adjustments made due to doping violations.
Lakshya Sen's title win, a World Championships medal from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty offered hope amidst a difficult 2025 for Indian badminton.
The 24-year-old Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 edition, went down 17-21, 19-21 in 54 minutes.
India's men's team secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Australia to reach the Thomas Cup quarterfinals, while the women's team faces a tough road in the Uber Cup after PV Sindhu's defeat against Wang Zhiyi.
Fresh from their Singapore Open victory, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to compete in the Thailand Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, while other Indian shuttlers including PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will also participate.
Prannoy fought back to level at 13-13, but Popov surged ahead as the Indian crumbled.
Ayush Shetty suffered a straight-game loss to Christo Popov as India trailed France 0-1 in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup Finals.
Ayush Shetty suffered a straight-game loss to Christo Popov as India trailed France 0-1 in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup Finals.
Indian badminton player PV Sindhu lost to Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open after initially winning the first game.
India will aim to continue their quest for a second title when they face Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals.
An inconsistent Lakshya Sen faltered in his opening match, while H S Prannoy endured a frustrating start to the season-opening Malaysia Super 100.
Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanshia Crasto squandered an early lead to go down 21-18, 15-21, 19-21 against Malaysia's Pang Ron Hoo and Su Yin Cheng in the second round.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha has advanced to her maiden BWF World Tour singles final at the Korea Masters Super 300, defeating compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj. Chaliha, returning from injury, will now face China's Han Qianxi for the title, marking a significant achievement for Indian badminton.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha defeated compatriot Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj to reach her first-ever BWF World Tour final at the Korea Masters Super 300. Chaliha, returning from a knee injury, continued her impressive run, having previously upset the top seed.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Karnataka Police from taking any coercive steps against badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach over allegations of forging birth certificates.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is set to chase an unprecedented sixth medal at the BWF World Championships, which are returning to India after 17 years, beginning in New Delhi on Monday. Sindhu, already a five-time World Championships medallist, is high on confidence after winning the Japan Open Super 750 last month.
Lakshya, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, eased past compatriot S Subramanian 21-14, 21-11, while Rakshitha overcame Shriyanshi Valishetty 19-21, 21-8, 21-13 in another all-Indian contest that clocked 58 minutes.
Satwik and Chirag, who finished runners-up in last week's Hong Kong Open, eked out a 24-22, 21-13 victory over Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in 42 minutes
Young Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen took to social media and said that his debut Olympics was both an honour and a heartbreak.
Ayush Shetty's coach, Sagar Chopda, believes that the Indian shuttler's challenging World Championships opener against world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi could work in his favour, citing Shi Yu Qi's recent form and the home crowd advantage.
PV Sindhu exited the Singapore Open after losing to An Se Young, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty progressed to the semifinals.
'At times when the score is crucial and you have to be mentally really strong. Credit to him, he played a solid game in the second half.'
Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has urged the Badminton World Federation to exercise caution regarding proposed scoring changes, maintaining that the current 21-point system preserves the sport's essential intensity and endurance.
In women's singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also dropped one place and is now ranked 16th.
Later, India's challenge came to a crashing halt after the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their quarterfinals.
Mannepalli netted a smash as Justin won 9 of the next 13 points to level at 18-all with a sharp return to the forehand.
Former India coach Vimal Kumar believes Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships is a positive sign for India's Thomas Cup campaign, highlighting the youngster's potential and areas for improvement.
Ayush stuns Naraoka to join Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya in quarterfinals at Hong Kong Open
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals at the World Championships, securing a potential third medal. However, India faced a setback with the elimination of two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty in their respective singles matches. The women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also reached the quarterfinals.
Former world No. 1 PV Sindhu bowed out of the BWF Badminton World Championships in New Delhi on Thursday after losing to China's Wang Zhi Yi in the Round of 16.
Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Simran Singhi, and Kavipriya Selvam are set to make their BWF World Championships debut as India hosts the prestigious badminton event after 17 years, offering a significant platform for these rising stars.
