BWF World Championships: Ayush Shetty, PV Sindhu qualifes for pre-quarterfinals; Lakshya Sen, Unnati Hooda suffer heartbreaking exits | Badminton News
Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu moved into the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 with straight-game wins in New Delhi on Wednesday.However, it was a mixed day for India as Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda were knocked out after close battles.
Shetty, Sindhu march on
Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run by beating Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in just 26 minutes.After shocking top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, Shetty once again looked in control from the start. He quickly built an 11-3 lead and comfortably took the first game.The Indian kept up the pressure in the second game, opening up a big lead before Abeywickrama tried to fight back. Shetty stayed composed to seal the match 21-10. He will next play Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the Round of 16 on Thursday.PV Sindhu also advanced after defeating Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17. Zhang put Sindhu under pressure at times, but the experienced Indian kept her cool and finished both games strongly.
Lakshya, Unnati bow out
Lakshya Sen’s campaign ended in a major upset as USA’s world No. 92 Garret Tan defeated the 14th-seeded Indian 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a thrilling contest.Unnati Hooda also exited after losing a tight match to Canada’s 13th seed Michelle Li, going down 21-11, 9-21, 21-23.In other results, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto reached the next round in mixed doubles with a 21-11, 21-11 win. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced through a walkover, while Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost to South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.Overall, Shetty and Sindhu kept India’s singles hopes alive, despite the exits of Lakshya and Unnati.
