Asian Games: Sindhu out in quarter finals as tight schedule takes toll, badminton yields just one medal

Star shuttler P. V. Sindhu, who has brought India laurels in badminton, lost 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to China's Chen Yu Fei in the women's singles quarter final on Sunday. With Sindhu's defeat, India's badminton campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 came to an end.

This was Sindhu's third match in the last 24 hours, which has raised questions about the scheduling by the Asian Games organising committee. India's badminton campaign at the event had begun with a bronze medal for the men's team. After that, no Indian player could win a medal in singles, doubles or mixed doubles.

Sindhu appeared somewhat fatigued as this was her third match in 24 hours. She played strongly against the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist to take the first set 21-11. The second set was closely fought. Sindhu led 11-10 at the break, but the set was later tied at 16-16. She hit a powerful smash to go 17-16 ahead, but the Chinese player fought back to take the second set 21-18, forcing a decider.

Sindhu could not replicate her first-set form in the third set. Fatigue from playing her third match in 24 straight hours was evident, and the pressure of having lost the second set also showed, as Chen built a one-sided 11-7 lead in the decider. From there, Chen tightened her grip on the match.

India, which usually has the strength to win badminton medals, had to settle for just one this time. India's performance is generally strong in sports such as hockey, badminton, boxing, wrestling and kabaddi, and these are the sports from which medals are expected, but this time the badminton players disappointed India considerably, something the badminton federation needs to look into.

Before Sindhu's match, Unnati had lost 16-21, 21-14, 17-21 to three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi. World Championship bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were beaten 21-18, 21-8 by the world's fifth-ranked Malaysian pair Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan. With that defeat on Sunday morning, India's campaign in women's doubles ended.

After that, India's mixed doubles pair of Nisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila lost their quarter final 14-21, 21-18, 18-21 to the world number one Chinese pair of Yan Ze Fang and Dongping Huang.