BWF Worlds: Shetty, Sindhu into pre-quarters; Lakshya, Unnati suffer exits
Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu advanced to the BWF World Championships pre-quarterfinals with straight-game wins. Shetty beat Dumindu Abeywickrama and will face Alwi Farhan next, while Sindhu defeated Wen Yu Zhang. Lakshya Sen suffered a three-game upset against Garret Tan, and Unnati Hooda lost a close battle to Michelle Li. India also progressed in mixed and men’s doubles.
India's stars Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 with decisive victories on Wednesday. However, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda suffered heartbreaking defeats in close matches.
Shetty maintained his impressive form by defeating Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in a swift 26-minute affair. The Indian maintained pressure in the second game, opening up a significant lead before Abeywickrama attempted to counter. Shetty's composed play secured the match 21-10.
Sindhu also progressed after outlasting Canada's Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17. Zhang tested Sindhu at times, but the experienced Indian kept her poise and closed out both games strongly.
Unfortunately, Lakshya Sen's hopes were dashed when he was upset by USA's Garret Tan 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a thrilling contest. Unnati Hooda also bowed out after a hard-fought loss to 13th-seeded Michelle Li of Canada 21-11, 9-21, 21-23.
Other notable results included Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advancing in mixed doubles following a 21-11, 21-11 win. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured a walkover, while Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun were eliminated by South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.
Despite the exits of Lakshya and Unnati, Shetty and Sindhu kept India's singles aspirations alive as they move closer to the quarterfinal stage.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- India’s schedule on BWF Worlds Day 4: Shetty, Sindhu aim for last-eight spot timesofindia.indiatimes.com
