Badminton Asia C’ships: Ayush marches into quarters; Sindhu, Prannoy bow out

Ayush Shetty’s impressive run at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, continued as the young Indian shuttler stormed into the quarterfinals with a dominant straight-games victory on Thursday, even as it turned out to be the end of the road for seasoned campaigners PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy in their respective second-round matches.

Ayush, who has been one of India’s standout performers in the tournament, produced another assured display to defeat Chinese Taipei’s Chin Yu Jen 21-16, 21-12 in a contest that lasted 41 minutes. The US Open 2025 champion looked in complete control throughout the match, dictating rallies with confidence and maintaining a steady tempo to outclass his opponent in both games.

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The 21-year-old had already made headlines earlier in the tournament with a stunning opening-round win over world No. 7 and fifth seed Li Shi Feng of China, registering a 21-13, 21-16 victory. Riding on that momentum, Ayush has now set up a quarterfinal clash against Indonesia’s third seed Jonatan Christie, where he will look to continue his giant-killing run.

However, it was a disappointing day for India’s senior stars. HS Prannoy, who had begun his campaign on a strong note with a straight-games win over Vietnam’s Nguyen Hai Dang, was unable to carry that form forward in the second round. He went down 12-21, 19-21 to world No. 17 Weng Hong Yang, struggling to find consistency against his higher-ranked opponent.

Similarly, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also bowed out after suffering a straight-games defeat to China’s Wang Zhi Yi, the second seed and a two-time Asian champion. Sindhu, who had fought her way into the second round with a hard-fought three-game victory over Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching, could not replicate that intensity and was outplayed in the crucial stages of her match.

India’s mixed doubles campaign also ended in disappointment, with the duo of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila losing in straight games to the fourth-seeded pair of Toh Ee Wei and Chang Ten Jie. The Indian pair struggled to match the pace and coordination of their opponents, going down 13-21, 14-21.

Attention will now turn to the remaining Indian contenders still in action. Unnati Hooda, who pulled off a remarkable comeback win against world No. 11 Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the opening round, is set to face world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan later in the day in what promises to be a challenging encounter.

In the women’s doubles category, the Indian pair of Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra will take on the formidable fifth-seeded Japanese duo of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in their quarterfinal bid.