Asian Games 2026: India Beat Japan 3-0 to Secure Badminton Medal
Asian Games 2026 Quarterfinal: Lakshya Sen Leads India鈥檚 Charge
India鈥檚 men鈥檚 badminton team secured a place in the semifinals of the Asian Games 2026 with a hard-fought 3-0 victory over hosts Japan in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The result also assured India at least a bronze medal in the men鈥檚 team event.
The Indian team entered the quarterfinal carrying the expectations of building on its silver-medal finish at the previous Asian Games. Against a strong Japanese side playing at home, India needed its leading players to handle pressure, and Lakshya Sen delivered in the opening singles.
Sen faced Japan鈥檚 Kodai Naraoka in the first rubber and had to produce a major comeback after losing the opening game 11-21. The Indian responded decisively, taking the second game 21-5 and forcing a decider.
Asian Games 2026: Lakshya Sen Completes Stunning Comeback
The deciding game became the most dramatic contest of the tie.
Naraoka established a significant advantage and led 16-10, leaving Sen with a difficult task. The Indian refused to let the match slip away, gradually reducing the deficit and eventually bringing the score level at 19-19.
Sen then kept his composure during the closing exchanges. He won the next crucial points to take the deciding game 21-19, completing a three-game victory and giving India a 1-0 lead.
The victory was particularly important because Naraoka is one of Japan鈥檚 leading singles players. Sen鈥檚 ability to recover after losing the first game gave India an early advantage in what was expected to be a closely contested tie.
Satwik-Chirag Extend India鈥檚 Lead
India鈥檚 second point came from its star men鈥檚 doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The Indian pair faced Japan鈥檚 Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi. Satwik and Chirag managed the important moments well, winning the opening game 21-18.
The second game was considerably tighter. Neither pair managed to create a decisive separation as the score moved into the closing stages. With the contest level at 19-19 and then 20-20, the Indian duo held its nerve to finish the game 24-22.
That straight-games victory put India 2-0 ahead and left Japan needing to win all three remaining rubbers to overturn the tie.
Asian Games 2026: Ayush Shetty Seals the Tie
With India one victory away from the semifinals, Ayush Shetty took on Japan鈥檚 Koki Watanabe in the second men鈥檚 singles.
Ayush started aggressively and quickly established control. He moved ahead 7-2 and later stretched the advantage to 16-5 before closing out the first game 21-10.
Watanabe attempted to fight back in the second game, but Ayush maintained his composure and eventually secured it 21-19.
The 2-0 win completed India鈥檚 3-0 sweep and confirmed the team鈥檚 place in the semifinals.
India Secure Back-to-Back Asian Games Badminton Medals
The semifinal qualification guarantees India another medal in the men鈥檚 team badminton competition. India had won silver in the event at the previous Asian Games, and this result means the country will again finish on the podium in the team event.
India鈥檚 route to the semifinals has included dominant performances. The team began with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh, with Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth winning their singles matches without dropping a game.
The quarterfinal against Japan, however, demanded a different level of resilience, particularly from Sen and the Satwik-Chirag combination.
India will now face China in the semifinal, with the defending champions standing between the Indian team and a place in the gold-medal match.
For Indian badminton, the 3-0 victory is therefore more than another team-event win. It guarantees a podium finish and gives the squad an opportunity to improve on its previous Asian Games silver.
