Asian Games 2026: Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag power India past Japan into semis

Lakshya Sen's stunning comeback and a dominant display by the Indian men's badminton team helped India beat hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games on Tuesday, assuring the country of a medal.

India, which won silver in the previous edition, took control of the tie through Lakshya, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ayush Shetty.

Lakshya, 25, produced the biggest turnaround of the evening after being on the verge of defeat against world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka. Having lost the opening game, the Indian trailed 14-19 in the decider before winning seven consecutive points to seal a 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 victory.


The win was particularly significant for Lakshya, who had entered the Games after a difficult run of early exits. He had been knocked out of the World Championships at home by USA's Garrett Tan, then ranked world No. 92, with his mentor Vimal Kumar later revealing that the Indian was dealing with a back injury.

Lakshya had also struggled against Naraoka, having lost four of their previous five meetings. The Japanese player took advantage early on, with Lakshya also finding it difficult to handle the drift inside the hall.

After dropping the first game, however, Lakshya responded strongly following a pep talk from chief coach Pullela Gopichand and a change of sides. He attacked Naraoka's backhand with a series of smashes, racing to an 11-2 lead in the second game before extending it to 16-3. Naraoka's errors helped Lakshya close out the game 21-5.

The decider was far more closely fought. Naraoka led 11-6 at the break and extended his advantage to 16-10. Lakshya stayed in the rallies and waited for openings, but two unforced errors left him trailing 14-19.

The Indian then turned the match around, taking four straight points as Naraoka began making errors under pressure. Two precise returns to the back line gave Lakshya match point, which he converted when Naraoka sent his next shot into the net.

Satwik and Chirag then put India within touching distance of victory in the first doubles match. The pair, who have won two titles this season, beat former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-18, 24-22 to make it 2-0.

Ayush Shetty completed the job in the third match, defeating world No. 16 Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19. The result secured India a place in the semifinals and assured the team of a medal.

India will face the winner of the quarterfinal between defending champions China and South Korea in the semifinals on Wednesday.

(With inputs from PTI)