PV Sindhu’s potential route to Asian Games 2026 singles gold

PV Sindhu will begin her bid for a first Asian Games singles gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on September 26, entering the draw with a first-round bye. The individual badminton events open on September 25.

A two-time Olympic medallist, Sindhu arrives at Aichi-Nagoya having already won a team bronze and an individual silver at previous Asian Games and is seeking to complete her medal collection. The draw gives her a relatively favourable start but projects a sequence of high-profile opponents in the later rounds.

After the bye, Sindhu is set to meet Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian in the round of 32; Chiu is ranked 17th in the world and is the Taipei No. 1. The two players have never met, and Chiu reached her match in the round of 32 by defeating Malaysia’s Letshanaa Karupathevan 21-13, 21-13 in the round of 64.

A projected round-of-16 opponent is Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, currently ranked seventh, against whom Sindhu leads 2-1. Their most recent encounter was at the Malaysia Open earlier this year, when Sindhu won in straight games; Miyazaki previously beat Sindhu at the 2024 Swiss Open. Miyazaki reached the final of the China Masters earlier this month after defeating Wang Zhiyi in the semi-finals and lost to An Se-young in the final.

The quarter-final route could pair Sindhu with China’s Chen Yufei, ranked fourth and holding a 9-7 lead in their head-to-head. Chen is a former Olympic champion, and the projected matchup would present challenges from Chen’s defensive game and sustained rallying. A win in the quarter-final would also guarantee Sindhu an individual Asian Games medal.

If Sindhu advances to the semi-finals, she could face South Korea’s An Se-young, the reigning Olympic and world champion; Sindhu has never beaten An in their 10 previous meetings. An’s movement, defence and capacity to sustain intensity across long rallies are noted features in the projection of that potential clash.

A possible final could pit Sindhu against either Wang Zhiyi or Akane Yamaguchi. Wang has beaten Sindhu in their recent meetings, while Yamaguchi is a long-time rival; Sindhu defeated Yamaguchi in straight games in the Japan Open final earlier this year. That victory gave her a maiden BWF Super 750 title on home soil for Yamaguchi.

Sindhu will start her campaign on September 26 (Saturday) against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin Chian in the round of 32.