Asian Games: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda exits cap disappointing badminton campaign as India return with just one medal

NEW DELHI: India’s badminton campaign at the Asian Games 2026 ended on Sunday with a disappointing return of just one medal, as PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda bowed out in the women’s singles quarterfinals after spirited efforts against formidable opponents.Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu went down 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China, while 19-year-old Hooda pushed three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before losing 16-21, 21-14, 17-21.The exits meant India failed to win a medal in any of the individual badminton events, with the men’s team bronze remaining the country’s only podium finish at Aichi-Nagoya. The contrast with the previous edition in Hangzhou was stark: India had won three medals there, including men’s team silver, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s doubles gold, and HS Prannoy’s singles bronze.Asian Games Full Coverage | Medal Tally | ScheduleSindhu fades after strong start against ChenSindhu, who had already played twice on Saturday, was competing for the third time in less than 24 hours. She started strongly against Chen, taking control of the opening game with sharp movement and aggressive shot-making to win it 21-11.The Indian also stayed in contention through much of the second game, which was closely fought and featured long rallies. The pair were level at 16-16 before Chen edged ahead to take the game 21-18 and force a decider.Chen seized control in the third, opening up an early lead and taking an 11-7 advantage at the interval. Sindhu managed only three more points after the break as the Chinese won 10 of the next 11 points to close out the match.Sindhu had entered the quarterfinal with a 7-9 head-to-head record against Chen, whom she had beaten on the way to winning the Japan Open Super 750 title in July. But the Indian could not repeat that result after a demanding schedule over the previous day.Hooda fights back but Yamaguchi holds onHooda also showed resilience in her quarterfinal against world No. 3 Yamaguchi, recovering from a one-sided opening game to take the second and force a decider.The Japanese controlled the early exchanges in the first game, using a range of strokes to build a sizeable lead and eventually take it 21-16. Hooda responded with a strong attacking display in the second, pulling level at 7-7 and then moving ahead as Yamaguchi began making errors. The Indian won eight successive points to claim the game 21-14.The decider remained tight, with the players level at 5-5 before Yamaguchi established a lead. Hooda continued to extend rallies and challenge the Japanese, but Yamaguchi held her advantage and closed out the match 21-17.Doubles pairs also fall in quarterfinalsIndia’s remaining doubles hopes had ended earlier on Sunday. Women’s pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, fresh from winning a maiden World Championships bronze last month, lost 18-21, 9-21 to Malaysia’s world No. 5 combination of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto came close to upsetting the world No. 1 Chinese pair of Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping, but eventually lost 14-21, 21-18, 18-21.Heavy schedule adds to players’ workloadThe demanding schedule was another talking point, with Sindhu, Hooda and Ayush Shetty among the players required to contest two matches within a few hours on Saturday. Sindhu’s quarterfinal against Chen was her third match in less than 24 hours, while Hooda also faced a taxing turnaround before her last-eight clash.Despite the effort and resilience shown by India’s leading shuttlers, the campaign ended well short of the three-medal return from Hangzhou. With only the men’s team bronze to show from Aichi-Nagoya, India’s badminton contingent leaves the Games without an individual-event medal.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.