BWF World Championships Day 3 — Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu Advance, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda Exit

-

The third day of the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi produced a mixture of impressive victories and heartbreaking defeats for the Indian contingent. With the tournament entering its knockout stages, India saw Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu advance to the Round of 16, while Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda suffered narrow defeats.

Ayush Shetty Continues His Dream World Championships

After stunning defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round, Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run with another dominant performance.

The Indian youngster defeated Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in the men's singles Round of 32. Ayush controlled the match from the beginning and never allowed his opponent to build any sustained momentum.

He won 42 of the 60 points played and advanced to the Round of 16 without dropping a game.

Ayush's performance has now become one of the biggest talking points of India's World Championships campaign. After defeating the world's No. 1 player in his opening match, he has shown that his first-round upset was no fluke.




PV Sindhu Moves Into the Round of 16

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also secured her place in the pre-quarterfinals.

The ninth-seeded Indian defeated Canada's Wen Yu Zhang in straight games, continuing her impressive start to the tournament. Sindhu entered the championship looking to add another World Championships medal to her collection, and she remains firmly in contention.

Sindhu and Ayush are now India's two remaining singles representatives in the Round of 16.

Lakshya Sen's Campaign Ends in a Thriller

One of the biggest disappointments of the day was Lakshya Sen's elimination.

The 14th seed lost to USA's Garrett Tan 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 in a closely contested Round of 32 encounter.

Lakshya won the opening game but could not maintain his advantage as Tan fought back. The American then built an 11-4 lead in the deciding game. Lakshya responded with a strong six-point run and moved within one point at 16-17, but Tan held his nerve in the closing stages to complete the upset.





Unnati Hooda Falls Just Short

Unnati Hooda suffered another heartbreaking defeat after pushing 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada all the way.

The 18-year-old Indian won the opening game 21-11, but Li levelled the match before edging an extremely close deciding game 23-21.

Unnati even had a match point at 20-19, but Li saved it and eventually closed out the contest.

Hariharan-Arjun Also Exit

The men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun were defeated by South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju 21-17, 21-14.

The Indian pair fought hard but were unable to overcome the Korean combination in the crucial stages of both games.

Satwik-Chirag Advance Through Walkover

India's fifth-seeded men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty progressed to the Round of 16 without taking the court.

Their Scottish opponents, Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle, withdrew after Dunn suffered a right ankle injury, giving the Indian pair a walkover.

Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto Advance

The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also enjoyed a comfortable victory.

The 15th seeds defeated Macau's Leong Iok Chong and Ng Weng Chi 21-11, 21-11 to reach the Round of 16.





India's Day 3 Summary

Winners:

  • Ayush Shetty — defeated Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10
  • PV Sindhu — defeated Wen Yu Zhang in straight games
  • Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto — won 21-11, 21-11
  • Satwik Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty — advanced by walkover

Eliminated:

  • Lakshya Sen — lost 21-19, 19-21, 17-21
  • Unnati Hooda — lost 21-11, 19-21, 21-23
  • Hariharan Amsakarunan/M R Arjun — lost 17-21, 14-21

India therefore continues its campaign with representation in the men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles.

With the Round of 16 now underway, the pressure will only increase. Ayush Shetty's remarkable run, PV Sindhu's experience and the presence of Satwik-Chirag give India plenty to look forward to as the World Championships move towards the quarterfinal stage.


Author: Anirudh Gaur
Sports Management & Operations | Sportspredictor

Follow Sportspredictor for BWF World Championships results, match analysis and predictions.

Popular posts from this blog

Asian Games 2026: India’s Medal Chances, Biggest Stars and Complete Sport-Wise Contingent

-
Image
The countdown to the 2026 Asian Games has entered its final stage. The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, bringing together athletes from across Asia. India will enter the Games with one of its strongest multi-sport contingents, with the approved squad featuring 492 athletes across 35 sports and disciplines. The contingent consists of 265 men and 227 women. India won a record 107 medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. The target this time will be to challenge that record and produce another historic performance. However, India's medal hopes have suffered a major blow with Neeraj Chopra ruled out of the Games after an ankle ligament injury. India's Biggest Medal Hope: Shooting Shooting is expected to be one of India's biggest medal-producing sports. The Indian shooting contingent includes Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Rudrankksh Patil, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anish, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, Esha Singh, Elavenil Va...
Read more

Can India Qualify for the WTC 2027 Final? Breaking Down Their Chances

-
Image
India’s road to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 Final has become increasingly challenging, but the door is far from closed. The Indian team is currently sitting fifth in the WTC 2025–27 standings with a points percentage of 48.15% after nine Tests. With only the top two teams qualifying for the final, India will need a strong finish to their campaign. India’s Remaining WTC Schedule India still have nine Tests remaining in the current WTC cycle: 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka – 2 Tests (Away) 🇳🇿 New Zealand – 2 Tests (Away) 🇦🇺 Australia – 5 Tests (Home) Their immediate challenge will be Sri Lanka, with the two-match series beginning on August 15 in Galle , followed by the second Test in Colombo from August 23. After Sri Lanka, India face New Zealand before hosting Australia in a massive five-Test series. Why India Are Still in the Race India's current position does not tell the entire story. The WTC uses a Points Percentage (PCT) system rather than simply counting points. A win i...
Read more

FIH Hockey World Cup 2026: All Pools and Groups Explained

-
Image
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 is one of the biggest events on the hockey calendar this year, with both the Men's and Women's tournaments jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands , running from August 14 to 30. Men's World Cup — The Pools Pool A features Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan; Pool B has Belgium, Germany, France and Malaysia; Pool C includes Australia, Spain, Ireland and South Africa; and Pool D brings together India, England, Pakistan and Wales.  The standout storyline is India vs Pakistan . The two rivals, sharing a history of conflict and partition, land in the same group for the first time at a World Cup in 16 years, with their last meeting coming in the 2010 edition in New Delhi, where India won 4-1. This time, they meet on August 19 at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, kicking off at 6:30pm IST.  Women's World Cup — The Pools Pool A consists of Netherlands, Australia, Chile and Japan; Pool B has Argentina, Germany, United States and ...
Read more