Asian Games 2026: PV Sindhu loses QF to Chen Yu Fei, India's badminton campaign ends
Synopsis
PV Sindhu's spirited fightback wasn't enough — a two-game collapse against Chen Yu Fei ended India's last realistic medal hope in badminton at Asian Games 2026. With every individual event falling at the quarter-final stage, India leaves Aichi-Nagoya with a single bronze, raising hard questions about depth and match fitness going into the next Olympic cycle.
Key Takeaways
PV Sindhu lost 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to Chen Yu Fei in the women's singles QF at the Asian Games 2026 in Ichinomiya City .
Unnati was eliminated by three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi 16-21, 21-14, 17-21 .
Women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost 21-18, 21-8 to Malaysian pair Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan .
Mixed doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila went down 14-21, 21-18, 18-21 to world No.
1 Chinese pair Yan Zhe Feng and Dongping Huang .
India finishes the Asian Games badminton campaign with just one bronze — from the men's team event — and no individual medals.
PV Sindhu's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 campaign ended in heartbreak on Sunday, 27 September, as the ace Indian shuttler fell 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to reigning Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Chen Yu Fei of China in the women's singles quarter-final at Ichinomiya City. The defeat brought down the curtain on India's entire badminton programme at the continental showpiece, with only a bronze medal — from the men's team event — to show from the campaign.
Sindhu's Rollercoaster Exit
Sindhu came into Sunday's match on the back of two matches on Saturday, meaning this was her third contest in under 24 hours. She showed no visible fatigue early on, producing a commanding display to take the opening game 21-11 against the Chinese world No. 1.
The second game was a tense, see-saw affair. Sindhu held a 11-10 advantage at the interval and still led 17-16 late in the game after unleashing a powerful smash, but Chen Yu Fei regrouped brilliantly to take the set 21-18 and force a deciding game.
In the decider, the fatigue and the psychological weight of losing the second game appeared to tell. Sindhu trailed 7-11 at the mid-game break and could add only three more points thereafter, as Chen closed out the match 21-10 to advance to the semi-finals.
Unnati Goes Down Fighting Against Yamaguchi
Earlier in the day, young Indian shuttler Unnati gave three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan a stiff examination before going down 16-21, 21-14, 17-21. Unnati recovered from a slow start to take the second game convincingly, squaring the tie at 1-1, but was visibly tiring in the decider — frequently clutching her knees — and unforced errors ultimately cost her as Yamaguchi won the final game 21-17 to secure at least a bronze and advance to the semi-finals.
Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles Also Bow Out
World championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were beaten 21-18, 21-8 by world No. 5 Malaysian pair Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan in the women's doubles quarter-final, ending India's challenge in that category.
Later on Sunday, the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila fell to world No. 1 Chinese pair Yan Zhe Feng and Dongping Huang 14-21, 21-18, 18-21 in a closely contested three-game quarter-final. Notably, Crasto and Kapila won the second game to briefly threaten an upset, before the Chinese pair's class told in the decider.
India's Overall Badminton Tally
India's badminton contingent departs Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with a solitary bronze — secured by the men's team — as all individual events across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles ended at the quarter-final stage or earlier. This comes amid expectations that Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion, would push deep into the knockout rounds. How India recalibrates ahead of the next major continental cycle will be a key question for Badminton Association of India (BAI) in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Suggesting the gap between Indian shuttlers and the Chinese and Japanese elite — particularly in three-game stamina — remains unresolved. For the BAI, the questions now are about match preparation cycles and the depth behind Sindhu. With the Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, the 2026 Asian Games may prove to be an important moment of reckoning.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the score of PV Sindhu's Asian Games 2026 quarter-final against Chen Yu Fei?
PV Sindhu lost to China's Chen Yu Fei by 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 in the women's singles quarter-final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on 27 September. Sindhu won the opening game convincingly but could not sustain her form over the final two sets.
Did India win any medals in badminton at the Asian Games 2026?
India secured only one bronze medal in badminton at Asian Games 2026, coming from the men's team event. No Indian player or pair reached the semi-finals in any individual category — singles, doubles, or mixed doubles.
What happened to India's doubles pairs at the Asian Games 2026?
Both doubles pairs exited at the quarter-final stage. World championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost 21-18, 21-8 to the Malaysian pair Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan. The mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila fell 14-21, 21-18, 18-21 to world No. 1 Chinese pair Yan Zhe Feng and Dongping Huang.
How did Unnati perform against Akane Yamaguchi at Asian Games 2026?
Unnati put up a strong fight against three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, winning the second game 21-14 to level the match at 1-1. However, she was visibly fatigued in the decider and lost the final game 17-21, with Yamaguchi progressing to the semi-finals and securing at minimum a bronze medal.
