Ichinomiya, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India eased past Kazakhstan 3-0 in the women’s badminton team Round of 16 on Sunday to book a place in the Asian Games quarterfinals.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda won their respective singles matches in straight games before Tanvi Sharma completed the sweep with a comfortable victory over Diana Namenova.
India will face hosts Japan, who received a first-round bye, on Tuesday for a place in the semifinals. A win in the quarterfinal would assure India of a medal.
Sindhu gave India the lead with a 21-7, 21-9 victory over Kamila Smagulova in 24 minutes.
Unnati then defeated Alissa Kuleshova 21-7, 21-10 in 22 minutes to put India 2-0 ahead.
World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi completed the tie with a 21-5, 21-10 win over Namenova in just 19 minutes.
The quarterfinal against Japan could produce several high-profile singles contests, with Sindhu potentially facing Akane Yamaguchi and Unnati possibly taking on Tomoka Miyazaki.
In doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand could face Japan’s leading combinations, including Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto and Kie Nakanishi-Suzu Iwana.
India’s women have won just one Asian Games team medal so far — a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, the Indian women’s team exited in the quarterfinals after losing 0-3 to Thailand.
The Indian men’s team, which won silver at the previous edition, will begin its campaign on Monday against Bangladesh in the Round of 16.
At Hangzhou, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won India’s first Asian Games badminton gold medal, while HS Prannoy secured bronze in the men’s singles.
The reigning silver medallists could face Japan in the quarterfinals, potentially setting up singles clashes involving Lakshya Sen against Kodai Naraoka and Ayush Shetty against Yushi Tanaka. Satwik and Chirag could also face Japan’s Hiroki Okamura and Takuro Hoki, depending on the tie-ups.
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