Lakshya Sen recovered from a slow start to beat Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria in his first round match at the BWF Badminton World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Rising Indian badminton star Tanvi Sharma, fresh from her Taipei Open win, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Korea Masters Super 300 tournament. She is joined by compatriots Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj and Ashmita Chaliha in the women's singles. In men's doubles, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy also secured a quarterfinal spot, while other Indian campaigns in mixed doubles, women's doubles, and men's singles concluded.
Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat clinched a gold medal in men's singles SL3 and a silver in men's doubles SL3-SU5 at the Japan Para Badminton International. Fellow Indian shuttler Sukant Kadam marked a significant career milestone by securing his 100th medal, alongside a silver in men's singles SL4 and men's doubles.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is implementing the new BWF 3x15 scoring format across all domestic tournaments from this month. This change aims to familiarise Indian shuttlers with the revised system before its international adoption next year, impacting all age groups and national championships.
Lakshya Sen faced an early exit from the China Masters after a straight-games defeat to Canada's Victor Lai, marking his third loss to the Canadian. Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth secured his spot in the second round by defeating Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei. India's mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also advanced.
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.
Unseeded Indian women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships after stunning 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Quynh Lee of the United States.
The duo of B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy entered the mixed doubles second round but the other Indian shuttlers, including Priyanshu Rajawat, made early exits
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen secured a hard-fought victory against Collins Valentine Filimon in the opening round of the BWF World Championships, attributing his win to crucial tactical adjustments after losing the first game. He will now face Garret Tan of the USA.
Indian badminton players experienced mixed results at the China Masters, with Kidambi Srikanth and Tanvi Sharma securing straight-game victories to advance to the second round. However, Lakshya Sen, a former world championships medallist, suffered an early exit after a disappointing performance against Canada's Victor Lai. Several Indian doubles pairs also saw varied outcomes in their opening matches.
Indian badminton sensation Tanvi Sharma, 17, secured her first BWF World Tour title by defeating Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen at the Taipei Open Super 300. Coached by Park Tae-sang, she became the first Indian woman to win the singles title there since Saina Nehwal in 2008, showcasing her rising talent and potential.
India's women's badminton team, led by PV Sindhu, secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. This win propels them into a challenging quarterfinal match against hosts Japan, a team boasting several top-ranked players.
Young Indian shuttler Rounak Chouhan continued his impressive run at the US Open badminton tournament, defeating Misha Zilberman to reach his first BWF World Tour Super 300 semifinal. Devika Sihag also advanced by upsetting third seed Riko Gunji, and former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth secured his spot in the semifinals, raising hopes for an all-India final.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha has won her first BWF World Tour title, defeating China's Han Qian Xi in the women's singles final of the Korea Masters Super 300 tournament.
Young Indian shuttler Tanvi Patri finished as runner-up at the Austrian Open International Series, losing to Canada's Rachel Chan in the women's singles final. In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Sathish Karunakaran and Zenith Abbigail also finished as runners-up.
Rising Indian badminton talent Unnati Hooda attributes her rapid progress to her father, Upkar Hooda, who left his job to mentor her full-time.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu delivered a stellar performance at the Japan Open Super 750, defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games to secure her spot in the quarterfinals. Sindhu, India's sole remaining representative, will now face Nozomi Okuhara.
Young Indian shuttler Rounak Chouhan, ranked 80th, caused a significant upset at the US Open by defeating world number six and top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in straight games. Other Indian players, including Tanvi Sharma, Rakshitha Sree, Devika Sihag, and Kidambi Srikanth, also advanced to the quarter-finals.
Pullela Gopichand only managed to win five points from the two games.
Six of the 12 Indian badminton players were barred from participating at the World University Games due to an alleged administrative lapse.
Satwik-Chirag face a 10-day Asian Games grind as the defending champions focus on fitness, injury prevention and workload management.
PV Sindhu secured a straight-game victory at the Singapore Open, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also advanced. Other Indian shuttlers faced setbacks in the tournament.
The Sports Ministry has invested over Rs 702 crore in the last three years to prepare Indian athletes for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, featuring 310 debutants.
Seasoned shuttler HS Prannoy and rising star Unnati Hooda will lead the Indian contingent at the Taipei Open Super 300 badminton tournament. Both players are looking for consistent performances, with Prannoy facing Japan's Minoru Koga and Unnati taking on a qualifier. Several other Indian players, including Tharun Mannepalli, M Manjunath, S Dayanand, Kiran George, Devika Sihag, Tasnim Mir, and others in doubles, are also set to compete.
Kidambi Srikanth edged out Japan's Yudai Okimoto in a three-game thriller to progress to the men's singles final of the US Open Super 300 badminton championships in Fuller, United States.
Unified high-performance training camps in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Guwahati played a crucial role in India's bronze medal win at the Thomas Cup, with top shuttlers benefiting from the focused preparation.
Young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty is actively working to transform his 'natural laid-back approach' into a more aggressive playing style as he prepares for his World Championship debut, where he faces current world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China in his opening match.
India's top men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, fought hard to defeat Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, securing their spot in the China Masters Super 750 semifinals. This victory continues their strong performance following recent successes. Meanwhile, veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth's journey in the men's singles quarter-finals concluded after a straight-games loss to Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Chetan Anand and Trupti Murgunde won the men's and women's singles crowns at the South Asian Games as India won all the five gold medals at stake.
Newly-crowned Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma and former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will lead India's challenge at the Korea Masters Super 300 badminton tournament. Tanvi's recent historic win and Srikanth's return to full fitness set high expectations for the Indian contingent across singles and doubles categories.
Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty are preparing for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sen, a former bronze medallist, aims for a deep run despite an inconsistent year, while the doubles pair focuses on adapting to court conditions. Rising star Ayush Shetty faces a tough opening challenge against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, with all players expressing excitement about playing in front of a home crowd and noting improved venue conditions.
Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha qualified for the women's singles main draw of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 tournament after defeating Pai Yu-po. In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun progressed to the second round.
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.
Overall, Anupama is only the sixth Indian shuttler to top the junior rankings.
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu was defeated by local favourite Chen Yufei in the second round of the China Open. Sindhu, who recently won the Japan Open, lost a close three-game match. Following her exit, she publicly criticised the tournament's scheduling, highlighting the inadequate recovery time she received compared to her opponent. Other Indian shuttlers Ayush Shetty and Lakshya Sen also exited the men's singles.
Kidambi Srikanth retired early from his opening match due to fitness issues even as Tanya Hemnath and Aakarshi Kashyap emerged as the only Indian shuttlers to progress to the women's singles second round at the Canada Open.
As Kidambi Srikanth lost his second round match, India's campaign ended at the Singapore Open.
Nikhil Kanetkar, Sachin Ratti and Chetan Anand entered the second round in the Asian Satellite Badminton championships.
'Frankly, I'm in that zone for another Olympics.'
