India men take bronze after 1-3 semi-final loss to China at Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya

India's men's badminton team secured a bronze medal after losing 1-3 to China in the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.

India had entered the match on the back of a run to the last four and were aiming to improve on their silver from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where they also lost to China in the final; the bronze in Aichi-Nagoya gives India consecutive Asian Games team medals for the first time in 40 years following their 1982 and 1986 bronze finishes.

World No. 14 Lakshya Sen, who had produced a strong performance to help India reach the semifinals, was unable to replicate that form against world No. 6 Shi Yu Qi, going down 16-21, 18-21 in the opening singles to put China 1-0 ahead.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty responded by defeating Paris Olympic silver medallists and reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20, leveling the tie 1-1 and briefly restoring India's chances at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.

The tie shifted again when 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, ranked world No. 20, lost 19-21, 13-21 to world No. 12 Li Shi Feng, handing China a 2-1 lead.

India's second doubles pairing, world No. 25 Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, faced He Ji Ting and Liu Yi after He was drafted into the Chinese team at the last minute following Chen Boyang's illness; Hariharan and Arjun fought back after losing the opening game but fell 16-21, 21-17, 9-21 as China sealed a place in the final.

China's victory ended India's bid to improve on their Hangzhou silver and confirmed the Chinese side's progression to the Asian Games final, while India will take home the bronze from the team event.