Sindhu and Ayush advance to pre‑quarters in New Delhi; Lakshya upset
PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on August 19, while Lakshya Sen was knocked out of the tournament.
Sindhu beat Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17 in 35 minutes to reach the last 16, and is slated to meet World No.3 Wang Zhiyi in the next round. Ayush Shetty defeated Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in the second round, progressing into the pre-quarterfinals; earlier in the tournament he had upset defending champion and world No.1 Shi Yuqi 19-21, 21-19, 21-17. Garret Tan stunned the 2021 bronze medallist Lakshya Sen in a three-game match, eliminating Sen from the draw.
Sindhu’s win came after she worked through difficult drift conditions and a slow start from the far side of the court, using powerful smashes and variety to keep Zhang under pressure. Zhang briefly held the advantage at the mid-game break in the opener, but Sindhu rattled off five consecutive points to move 15-12 ahead and later converted the second of her five game points. The No.9 seed grew into the match, building leads such as 16-10 and 18-12 as the home crowd rallied behind her.
Match statistics and pattern of play reflected Sindhu’s adjustment to conditions: she mixed cross-court clears and deep pushes to the backcourt while tightening defence when rallies extended. The coverage noted Sindhu took time to settle but then dictated rallies with attacking strokes, forcing Zhang into errors and limited responses as the match progressed. The win sets up the scheduled Round of 16 meeting with Wang Zhiyi.
Ayush produced a one-sided victory against Abeywickrama, surging to early leads of 9-2 and 11-2 before closing the first game 21-8. He extended his dominance to a 15-5 cushion in the opener and, after a brief resistance when Abeywickrama won five straight to reduce the margin to 17-9, Ayush immediately regained control. The report noted he was playing in his maiden World Championships and appeared in control throughout the match.
Asked about his preparation and expectations, Ayush said: "No, I think I was preparing for a tough match. I think for every match, I come prepared as if, you know, it's going to be a really great match, because I think everyone's playing good, playing great badminton. So yeah, I think I was prepared for a tough match, but happy with the comfortable win." On his upcoming opponent he added: "Yeah, definitely. I think it'll be a great match again tomorrow against Alwi. I've played him a couple of times. It's always a great match and a super tough opponent."
The upset to Lakshya came at the hands of 18-year-old Garret Tan, who was credited with outs-mashing Sen and dominating at the net during a three-game victory. The coverage described Sen as dejected post-match and noted he thanked the home fans as he left the court.
With Sindhu through to the Round of 16 to face Wang Zhiyi and Ayush preparing for a match against Alwi Farhan, India’s remaining singles contenders will contest their next fixtures as the World Championships progress; Lakshya’s exit means Ayush is the remaining Indian men’s singles player in the draw, a point Ayush acknowledged after his win.