Asian Games 2026: Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu serve tough draws; Satwik-Chirag to get an easier way

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu (Image credit: Agencies) Indian badminton players have a mixed draw for the individual events at the Asian Games, the schedule was announced on Thursday. While Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu face tough possible opponents in the later rounds, defending champions Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a relatively easier path to the semifinals.The individual competitions will start on Friday.India has already secured a medal in badminton at the Asian Games, with the men’s team winning bronze.

Tough lot for Lakshya Sen

Lakshya received a bye in the opening round of the men’s singles. However, his opponent in the second round is likely to be former world champion Loh Kean Yew, who also received a bye.If Sen gets past Loh, the world number 14 could face world number one Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the quarter-finals.Ayush Shetty also got a first round bye. His first big challenge could come in Round 3, where he is likely to face Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Sindhu could face the Olympic champion in Tokyo

Sindhu also received a first round bye in the women’s singles. The Indian star is expected to advance to the quarter-finals where she could face Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei.Young Indian player Unnati Hooda will start her campaign against North Korea’s Yu Mi Song. If she advances, she could face world number six Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the 3rd round.

Easy drawing for Satwik-Chirag

The men’s doubles draw could be watching for India. Defending champions Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will start against Thais Peeratchai Sukpun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul.The Indian pair have a relatively easy path to the semi-finals where they could face South Korean top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.However, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun have had a tough opening match. They will host second seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.

Tough challenge for Treesa-Gayatri

In the women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take on Hong Kong’s Lok Lok Lui and Hiu Yan Tsang. If they win, they will face Japan’s world number three Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in the 2nd round.Treesa and Gayatri defeated Yuki and Maya in the tag team quarterfinals earlier this week.Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will compete against Indonesians Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilyysa Trias Puspitasari.A win could set up a second-round match with South Korean second seeds Hana Baek and Sohee Lee.

Dhruv-Tanisha starts against the Maldivian pair

In the mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will face Maldives’ Nibal Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq Aminath Nabeeha in the first round.At Hangzhou 2023, Indian shuttlers won three medals, including the country’s first badminton gold.Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won gold in men’s doubles, while the men’s team won silver and HS Prannoy won bronze in men’s singles.