GUWAHATI: India's campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 suffered a setback on Thursday, August 20, as PV Sindhu and rising star Ayush Shetty were knocked out in the round of 16, bringing the country's singles challenge to an end in New Delhi.
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With both singles players eliminated, India's hopes at the World Championships now rest on its remaining doubles pairs.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, seeded ninth, went down 21-11, 15-21, 21-17 to world No. 3 Wang Zhiyi of China at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Sindhu, a two-time world champion, made a strong fightback after losing the opening game but could not sustain the momentum in the decider. Wang kept her composure in the closing stages to seal a hard-fought victory and advance to the semi-finals.
The Indian had been chasing a sixth medal at the prestigious championships, having previously won gold in 2019, silver in 2017 and 2018, and bronze in 2013 and 2014. Her exit also brings an end to India's hopes of a women's singles medal at the championships.
Meanwhile, Ayush Shetty's impressive run at the tournament came to an end with a 21-19, 21-11 defeat against 11th seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia.
In men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty booked their place in the quarter-finals after recovering from a first-game loss to defeat Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King 21-23, 21-19, 21-17.
In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced to the quarter-finals with a 21-16, 21-12 victory over seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan.