PV Sindhu out of women’s team event; set for women’s singles at Asian Games 2026 starting Sept 25
PV Sindhu and the Indian women’s badminton team were eliminated from the Asian Games 2026 women’s team event after a 1-3 quarter-final defeat to hosts Japan in Nagoya on September 22, 2026, and Sindhu is slated to compete in the individual women’s singles beginning September 25. India’s loss ended their run in the team competition.
Sindhu started India’s tie against Akane Yamaguchi, taking the first game 23-21 before Yamaguchi, a three-time world champion, won the second 21-18 after long rallies and closed the match with a 21-11 decider. Teenager Unnati Hooda went down to Tomoka Miyazaki in straight games, 16-21, 18-21, which put Japan 2-0 up. World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reduced the deficit by defeating Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-17, 21-16.
The comeback attempt ended when Nozomi Okuhara beat Tanvi Sharma 21-12, 21-10 to seal a 3-1 victory for Japan and eliminate India from medal contention in the women’s team event. India have won two medals previously in the women’s team category at the Asian Games: bronze in New Delhi in 1982 and bronze in Incheon in 2014. With the team competition concluded, focus shifts to the individual events.
The women’s singles competition is scheduled to start with the Round of 64 on September 25 and run through the final on September 29; Sindhu will feature in that event, subject to her qualification for the draw. Sindhu won the silver medal in the women’s singles at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
Sindhu is listed as world No. 10 as of late August 2026. Earlier this season she captured the Japan Open title in July 2026, beating Akane Yamaguchi in straight games, 21-17, 21-17.
The Indian men’s badminton team will meet Japan in their quarter-final, with Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy named among the players for that tie in Nagoya.
The immediate next milestone for Sindhu at the Asian Games is the opening of the women’s singles on September 25, with the event scheduled to conclude on September 29 and her participation dependent on qualification into the draw.
