Asian Games: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda end ill-fated badminton campaign as India return with lone medal

PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda NEW DELHI: India’s badminton campaign at the 2026 Asian Games ended on Sunday with a disappointing return of just one medal as PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda crashed out in the women’s singles quarterfinals after spirited efforts against formidable opponents.Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu lost 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China, while 19-year-old Hooda suppressed three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before losing 16-21, 21-14, 17-21.The exits meant that India failed to win a medal in any of badminton’s individual events, with the men’s team bronze remaining the country’s sole podium finisher in Aichi-Nagoya. The contrast with the previous edition in Hangzhou was stark: India won three medals there, including men’s team silver, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s doubles gold and HS Prannoy’s bronze in singles.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule

Sindhu fades after a strong start against Chen

Sindhu, who had already played twice on Saturday, was competing for the third time in less than 24 hours. She started strong against Chen, taking control of the opening game with sharp moves and aggressive shooting to win 21-11.The Indian also stayed in contention for most of the second game, which was very close and featured long rallies. The pair were tied at 16-16 before Chen took the lead, taking the game 21-18 to force a decider.Chen took control in the third, opening up an early lead and taking an 11-7 advantage into the break. Sindhu could only muster three more points after the break as the Chinese won 10 of the next 11 points to seal the match.Sindhu entered the quarterfinals with a 7–9 head-to-head record against Chen, whom she defeated en route to winning the Japan Open Super 750 in July. However, after the demanding program of the previous day, he was unable to repeat this result.

Hooda fights back but Yamaguchi holds on

Hooda also showed resilience in her quarter-final against world number three Yamaguchi, recovering from a one-sided opener to take the second and force a decider.The Japanese controlled the first exchanges in the first game and used a series of strikes to build a considerable lead and eventually lead 21-16. Hooda responded with a strong offensive display in the second to pull level at 7-7, then surged forward as Yamaguchi began to make mistakes. The Indian won eight straight points to win the match 21-14.The decider remained close, with the players tied at 5-5 before Yamaguchi built the lead. Hooda continued to extend the rally and challenge the Japanese, but Yamaguchi maintained her advantage and closed out the match 21-17.

Doubles pairs also fall in the quarterfinals

India’s remaining hopes in the doubles ended earlier on Sunday. The women’s pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, fresh from winning their first bronze at the World Championships last month, lost 18-21, 9-21 to Malaysia’s world number one combination of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.In the mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto came close to upsetting the world number one Chinese pair of Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping but eventually lost 14-21, 21-18, 18-21.

The tough schedule adds to the players’ workload

A tough schedule was another talking point, with Sindhu, Hooda and Ayush Shetty among the players who had to battle it out in two matches in a matter of hours on Saturday. Sindhu’s quarter-final against Chen was her third match in less than 24 hours, while Hooda also faced a tough turnaround ahead of her last-eight encounter.Despite the efforts and resilience of India’s leading shuttlers, the campaign ended just before the return of the three medals from Hangzhou. With only the men’s team bronze from Aichi-Nagoya, the Indian badminton contingent leaves the Games without a medal from the individual competition.