At the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, India’s men’s badminton team settled for the bronze medal after going down to China in the semifinals.
In the opening singles, India’s Lakshya Sen (world No. 14) was beaten 16-21, 18-21 by China’s Shi Yu (world No. 6), putting India 0-1 behind.
India drew level in the doubles as the top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won 21-11, 22-20 to make it 1-1.
However, Ayush Shetty (world No. 20) lost 19-21, 13-21 to Li Shi Feng, and China also won the following doubles match to seal the tie 3-1 and reach the final.
The bronze is notable for India as it marks a medal in badminton at consecutive Asian Games editions after the team won silver in 2023. India’s overall tally at the ongoing Games stands at 12 medals—1 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze—placing the country 13th in the standings.
