Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and rising shuttler Ayush Shetty kept India's singles hopes alive at the Asian Games on Saturday with commanding straight-game wins, but Lakshya Sen's second-round defeat to former world champion Loh Kean Yew delivered another blow to a campaign already jolted by the earlier exit of the men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Sindhu, the world No. 11 and a recent winner of her maiden Super 750 title in Japan, overcame Chinese Taipei's world No. 17 Chiu Pin-chian 21-19, 21-14 in the women's singles second round to move into the pre-quarterfinals. The Indian, who had received a bye in the opening round, was made to work early as Chiu controlled the pace and led 11-10 at the break after moving ahead from 6-2. Sindhu, however, gradually found her rhythm, closing the gap through patient rally construction and sharper shot selection before edging the opening game.
The first game turned on a tense finish. Sindhu reached 19-16 and earned three game points after a backhand net shot error from Chiu. The Taiwanese saved two, helped by a lucky net chord and a well-built rally, but Sindhu eventually sealed the game with a deep cross-court push. In the second game, the Indian looked more settled from the outset, opening an 8-4 lead and taking an 11-8 advantage into the interval. She continued to press, moving to 15-10 when Chiu sent one long, and then converted soon after to complete the win with six match points in hand.
Sindhu will next face Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki, a contest that will test her consistency and ability to sustain pressure deep into the draw. For India, her progress offers a stabilising presence in a women's singles field where experience remains a major asset.
Ayush Shetty, meanwhile, produced one of the most one-sided results of the day, brushing aside Kazakhstan's Makhsut Tajibullayev 21-7, 21-7 in the second round. The finalist at the Badminton Asia Championships barely allowed his opponent any foothold in the match and now faces a sterner challenge against third seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. Ayush's emphatic win underlined the promise of India's younger men's singles contingent, even as the draw begins to tighten.
Unnati Hooda also advanced, though not without a fight. The three-time BWF Super 100 winner defeated Malaysia's Ling Ching Wong 21-14, 20-22, 21-19 to reach the women's singles third round. Unnati's ability to recover after dropping the second game and hold her nerve in a close decider added another positive note to India's day. She now meets Indonesia's sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani in what promises to be a significant test of her growing stature on the international circuit.
The day's disappointment came through Lakshya Sen, who lost 12-21, 21-15, 14-21 to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in a match that lasted more than an hour. Sen, ranked world No. 14, had started strongly and led 5-1 in the opening game, but Loh responded with a devastating run of 10 consecutive points to seize control and take the first game. Sen fought back well in the second, staying close early before pulling away with aggressive attacking play to force a decider.
In the final game, however, Loh established an 11-6 lead and maintained the advantage despite a brief Indian resurgence. Sen cut the deficit to 13-14 after winning four straight points, aided by a few unforced errors from the Singaporean, but Loh quickly regained composure, moved ahead 16-14 and then produced three well-constructed points to reach 19-14 before closing out the match.
The defeat means an individual medal at the Asian Games continues to elude Sen, who won Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 and finished fourth at the Paris Olympics. He does, however, already have a team silver from the previous edition in Hangzhou and a bronze from the team event on Wednesday, but the latest loss will sting given the expectations surrounding him as one of India's leading men's singles players.
With Sindhu advancing, Ayush impressing and Unnati surviving a stern test, India still has reasons for optimism in the singles competition. Yet Lakshya's exit, coming a day after the shock departure of Satwik and Chirag, has left the badminton contingent with a narrower path to the podium and a growing sense that every remaining match now carries added weight.