Asian Games Badminton
India Claims Badminton Team Bronze While Defending Champions Exit Asian Games
Anonymous
India’s men’s badminton team won bronze at the 2026 Asian Games after losing 3-1 to China in the semifinal. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat world champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang to level the tie, but China won the remaining matches. In the individual men’s doubles, defending champions Rankireddy and Shetty were eliminated in the first round by Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun, losing 12-21, 21-19, 21-14. Rankireddy said the pair let the second game slip and needed to strengthen their mental approach, citing the demanding schedule after the team event. In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila reached the quarterfinals with two wins.
Key Points
1
Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun were ranked world No. 36, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were ranked fifth; the upset ended the Indians’ bid to defend the historic gold they won at Hangzhou 2023, the first Asian Games badminton gold for India.
2
The Thai pair turned the second game around after trailing: they led 11-9 at the interval and 17-13 before Satwik and Chirag mounted a late rally that fell short. In the decider, the score was level at 6-6 before Thailand pulled away after the interval.
3
Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila opened their campaign with a 21-8, 21-7 win over Maldives’ Nibal Ahmed and Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq, then beat Malaysia’s world No. 10 pair 22-20, 24-22; their quarterfinal opponents were China’s Yan Zhe Feng and Dongping Huang.
4
India’s women’s badminton team finished without a medal, while Unnati Hooda advanced to the second round with a 21-9, 21-10 victory over North Korea’s Mi Song Yu.
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