BWF World Championships 2026: Sindhu, Ayush enter pre-quarterfinals | Other Sports News

Former world champion PV Sindhu and India Open winner Ayush Shetty moved into the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 with comfortable straight-game victories on a mixed Wednesday for the Indian contingent at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

While ninth seed Sindhu brushed aside Canada’s Zhang Wen Yu 21-16, 21-17 in the women’s singles second round, Ayush needed just 26 minutes to dispatch Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 and book his place in the men’s singles round of 16.

Two-time World Championships bronze medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also progressed without taking the court after their Scottish opponents conceded a walkover following an injury to Alexander Dunn.

Sindhu sets up clash with Wang Zi Yi

Sindhu, looking to make another deep run at the World Championships, stayed in control for most of her encounter against Zhang.

The Indian took the opening game 21-16 before closing out the second 21-17 to avoid being dragged into a decider.

Her reward is a considerably tougher assignment in the pre-quarterfinals, where she will face China’s third seed Wang Zi Yi.

Wang booked her place in the round of 16 with a dominant 21-16, 21-9 victory over Malaysia’s Karuoathevan Letshanaa earlier in the day.

Sindhu will therefore need to raise her level against the third seed as the competition moves into the business end.

Ayush Shetty races into round of 16

Ayush, meanwhile, made short work of Abeywickrama in one of the most one-sided contests involving an Indian on Wednesday.

The India Open champion dominated from the outset and allowed his Sri Lankan opponent little opportunity to settle into the contest. He conceded only eight points in the opening game before completing a 21-8 win.

There was no change in the pattern in the second game as Ayush continued to dictate proceedings and wrapped it up 21-10 to complete the victory in just 26 minutes.

The Indian will next face Indonesia’s 11th seed Alwi Farhan for a place in the quarterfinals.

Farhan, the 2023 world junior champion, was equally convincing in his second-round encounter, defeating Finland’s Joakim Oldorff 21-12, 21-9.

The meeting with Farhan is expected to provide Ayush with a much sterner test after his relatively straightforward passage through the second round.

Lakshya, Unnati bow out after close contests

Lakshya’s campaign ended after the 14th-seeded Indian was beaten by 18-year-old American Garret Tan 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in an hour and 13 minutes.

Lakshya took the opening game but Tan responded with his powerful smashes and forced a decider. The Indian saved four game points late in the second game but could not complete the comeback.

Lakshya again found himself trailing 4-11 in the deciding game before mounting another recovery to close the gap to 16-17. A couple of errors from the Indian, combined with Tan’s aggressive play at the crucial stage, ended his hopes of turning the match around.

Unnati suffered an even more agonising defeat in her World Championships debut.

The Indian pushed 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada to the limit and earned two match points before going down 11-21, 21-9, 23-21.

Unnati dominated the opening game before Li responded emphatically in the second. The decider went down to the wire, with Unnati earning two opportunities to close out the contest.

On both match points, however, her pushes went wide. Li capitalised on the reprieve and sealed the contest with a down-the-line smash.

Satwik-Chirag advance without taking court

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had an easier passage into the round of 16, with the Indian men’s doubles pair receiving a walkover.

Their Scottish opponents withdrew after Alexander Dunn suffered an injury, allowing the two-time World Championships bronze medallists to progress without playing their second-round match.

In mixed doubles, 15th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were barely troubled by Macao’s Leong Lok Chong and Ng Weng Chi.

The Indian combination won both games by identical 21-11 margins to advance.

Lin Chun-Yi stunned in second round

One of the notable upsets of the day came in men’s singles, where reigning India Open champion Lin Chun-Yi was knocked out by Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke.

Lin appeared to be in control after winning the opening game 21-13, but Gemke turned the contest around.

The Dane took the second game 21-17 before dominating the decider 21-11 to complete a 13-21, 21-17, 21-11 comeback victory.

Third seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia also had to recover from a game down against Singapore’s Jia Heng Teh.

Christie lost the opener 19-21 before taking the second by the same scoreline. He then asserted himself in the deciding game to win 21-11 and progress with a 19-21, 21-19, 21-11 victory.

**Important results**

| Event           | Result                                                                                   |

| ————— | —————————————————————————————- |

| Men’s singles   | Ayush Shetty (IND) beat Dumindu Abeywickrama (SRI) 21-8, 21-10                           |

| Men’s singles   | Garret Tan (USA) beat 14-Lakshya Sen (IND) 19-21, 21-19, 21-17                           |

| Men’s singles   | 3-Jonatan Christie (INA) beat Jia Heng Teh (SGP) 19-21, 21-19, 21-11                     |

| Men’s singles   | Rasmus Gemke (DEN) beat Lin Chun-Yi (TPE) 13-21, 21-17, 21-11                            |

| Women’s singles | 9-PV Sindhu (IND) beat Zhang Wen Yu (CAN) 21-16, 21-17                                   |

| Women’s singles | 13-Michelle Li (CAN) beat Unnati Hooda (IND) 11-21, 21-9, 23-21                          |

| Mixed doubles   | 15-Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto (IND) beat Leong Lok Chong/Ng Weng Chi (MAC) 21-11, 21-11 |