Ichinomiya City, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India secured a medal in the men’s team badminton event at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Lakshya Sen overcame a strong challenge from Kodai Naraoka in the opening singles before the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty extended India’s advantage. Ayush Shetty then completed the clean sweep with a straight-game win over Koki Watanabe.
Lakshya was forced to recover after dropping the opening game 11-21. The Indian responded strongly, racing to a 21-5 win in the second game to take the contest into a decider.
Naraoka again looked in control in the third game and opened up a five-point lead, but Lakshya produced a determined comeback. He levelled the score at 19-19 before winning the next two points to seal an 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 victory.
The pressure then shifted to the doubles court, where world No. 5 Satwiksairaj and Chirag faced Japan’s world No. 9 pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, the former world champions.
The Indian duo took a closely fought opening game 21-18. Japan saved three match points in the second game and forced the score to 20-20, but Satwik and Chirag held their nerve to win 24-22 and put India 2-0 ahead.
Ayush was tasked with finishing the tie and delivered against Watanabe. He controlled the opening game from the start, winning it 21-10.
Watanabe attempted a fightback in the second game, but Ayush maintained his composure and reached the interval with an 11-5 lead. He eventually closed out the match 21-10, 21-19 to send India into the semifinals and assure the team of at least a bronze medal.
India had opened its campaign with a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh in the round of 16. The men’s team will now face the winner of the quarterfinal between China and South Korea in the semifinal on Wednesday.
The result also keeps India in contention to improve on its performance at the previous edition, where the men’s team won a silver medal after losing the final to China.
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