Asian Games Badminton 2026: Satwik-Chirag stunned, Tanisha-Dhruv advance to quarters

Defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock first-round exit in the men's doubles at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, while mixed doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the quarterfinals after winning back-to-back matches.

The fourth-seeded Satwik-Chirag pair, which had won the men's doubles gold at the previous Asian Games, went down 12-21, 21-19, 21-14 to Thailand's Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun in a 68-minute Round of 32 clash.

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The Indian duo made a strong start, taking the opening game 21-12 after establishing an 11-5 lead. The Thai pair, however, fought back in the second game and edged ahead to level the contest with a 21-19 win.

Sukphun and Teeraratsakul maintained the momentum in the decider, opening up an 18-14 advantage before closing out the match 21-14 to complete the upset.

The defeat ends the men's doubles campaign of the defending champions in the individual event. Satwik and Chirag, former world No. 1s and two-time world championship bronze medallists, had also been part of India's men's team that won bronze at the Asian Games earlier in the competition.

Tanisha-Dhruv survive tight Malaysian battle

Tanisha and Dhruv, meanwhile, progressed to the last eight with two wins on Friday.

The Indian pair began with a comfortable 21-8, 21-7 victory over Maldives' Nibal Ahmed and Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq in just 21 minutes.

They then overcame Malaysia's Shevon Jemie Lai and Soon Huat Goh 22-20, 24-22 in a closely fought Round of 16 match lasting an hour.

Tanisha and Dhruv will next face China's Feng Yang Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the quarterfinals on September 27.

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Unnati Hooda also advanced in women's singles, beating North Korea's Mi Song Yu 21-9, 21-10 in 30 minutes.

India's badminton campaign in the team events had produced mixed results. The women's team, led by PV Sindhu, exited without a medal, while the men's team secured bronze after losing to China in the semifinals.

Later on Friday, India's Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun are scheduled to face Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Shohibul Fikri in their men's doubles Round of 32 match.