PV Sindhu loses to Akane Yamaguchi as Japan takes 1-0 lead in Asian Games badminton quarterfinal

Japan triumphed over India's women's badminton team in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games, with notable performances throughout. PV Sindhu fought valiantly but was unable to secure a win against Akane Yamaguchi. The team's only success came from Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in doubles, while Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma struggled against their Japanese rivals, concluding India's journey in the women's team event.

India’s PV Sindhu suffered a three-game defeat against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi as the Indian women’s badminton team went 0-1 down in their Asian Games 2026 quarterfinal tie against the hosts on Tuesday.Sindhu started strongly and edged out Yamaguchi 23-21 in a closely contested opening game. However, the Japanese shuttler fought back in the second game, winning 21-18 to level the match and force a decider.India's PV Sindhu loses 23-21, 18-21 11-21 to Akane Yamaguchi as the Indian women's team falls 0-1 behind against Japan in the badminton quarterfinals at the Asian Games. #AsianGames2026 #PVSindhu pic.twitter.com/OD7Fj41lER— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2026 View this post on Instagram Yamaguchi carried her momentum into the third game and pulled away from Sindhu to seal an 11-21, 18-21, 11-21 victory. The defeat handed Japan the opening point of the quarterfinal tie, leaving India needing to win the remaining matches to keep their campaign alive.Sindhu had entered the quarterfinal after helping India secure a 3-0 win over Kazakhstan in the Round of 16. She had defeated Kamila Smagulova 21-7, 21-9 in the opening singles match before Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma completed the clean sweep.With Japan now leading 1-0, India will look to bounce back in the remaining matches of the quarterfinal tie and keep their hopes of progressing to the medal rounds alive.