Japan Open 2026: Ayush Shetty Pushes World No. 2 to the Limit as India's Challenge Narrows
Ayush Shetty fought valiantly against World No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, while Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda bowed out of the Japan Open Super 750. PV Sindhu and Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto remain India's only hopes.
India endured a disappointing day at the Japan Open Super 750 in Tokyo as three of its singles shuttlers—Ayush Shetty, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda—crashed out of the tournament. However, despite the exits, Ayush's spirited performance against World No. 2 and former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn offered plenty of encouragement for Indian badminton.
With the trio's elimination, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto remain India's only representatives in the prestigious USD 950,000 tournament.
The disappointing results also come at a crucial time, with India preparing to host the BWF World Championships in New Delhi next month, the first time the country will stage the event in 17 years.
The standout performance of the day came from 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, who produced one of the finest displays of his young career despite suffering a narrow defeat. Facing second seed and former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Ayush displayed maturity, resilience and fearless attacking badminton in an engrossing contest that lasted 82 minutes.
The Indian fought back brilliantly after losing the opening game 19-21, taking the second game 25-23 after saving multiple pressure situations. The decider remained competitive for long spells before the experienced Thai eventually prevailed 21-15, sealing a hard-fought 21-19, 23-25, 21-15 victory.
Although Ayush exited in the opening round, his performance underlined why he is regarded as one of India's brightest emerging talents. Having already reached the final of the Badminton Asia Championships earlier this year, the youngster once again showed he can challenge the world's elite.
The narrow defeat will undoubtedly provide confidence ahead of future tournaments.
Young Indian star Unnati Hooda also battled hard before bowing out in three games against Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei. The World No. 24 made an excellent start, claiming the opening game 21-16 with aggressive strokeplay and confident net exchanges. However, Huang gradually wrestled back control of the contest, taking the second game 21-16 before completing the comeback with a 21-15 victory in the deciding game.
The result marked Unnati's second defeat in as many meetings against the Chinese Taipei shuttler. Despite the loss, the 18-year-old continues to show encouraging progress on the international circuit. A two-time Odisha Open Super 100 champion, Unnati has steadily climbed the world rankings over the past year and remains one of India's biggest hopes for the future.
Lakshya Sen Struggles Against Home Favourite
Former All England runner-up Lakshya Sen was unable to find his rhythm against Japan's Koki Watanabe, suffering a straight-game defeat in just 38 minutes. The home favourite controlled proceedings from the outset with precise placement and relentless pace, preventing Lakshya from settling into long rallies. Watanabe secured a 21-16, 21-14 victory to improve his head-to-head record against the Indian to 4-3.
For Lakshya, the defeat continues a difficult spell of inconsistent results after showing flashes of his best form earlier in the season.
With the World Championships fast approaching, the Indian will be eager to regain confidence during the coming weeks.
Following Wednesday's exits, India's hopes now rest solely on PV Sindhu and the mixed doubles combination of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto. Sindhu made a confident start to the tournament with a straight-game victory in the opening round and now faces a significantly tougher challenge against fifth seed Han Yue of China. The former world champion has shown encouraging signs in recent tournaments and will look to produce another strong performance against one of the world's leading women's singles players.
Meanwhile, Dhruv and Tanisha, who also advanced comfortably through the first round, face arguably the toughest possible test in mixed doubles. The Indian pair will take on top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China, one of the strongest combinations on the BWF World Tour.
A victory would rank among the biggest results of their partnership and significantly boost their confidence ahead of the World Championships.
The Japan Open represents one of the final major tournaments before the BWF World Championships, which India will host in New Delhi next month. The event carries extra significance for Indian badminton, with the country staging the World Championships for the first time since Hyderabad hosted the tournament in 2009. Several Indian players are using the Japan Open as an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations against the world's strongest opposition.
While Wednesday's results were disappointing, Ayush Shetty's performance against Kunlavut demonstrated the growing depth in Indian badminton, particularly among the younger generation. His ability to stretch one of the world's best players over three closely contested games offers plenty of optimism for the future.
As the tournament enters the second round, India's medal hopes now rest with the experience of PV Sindhu and the promising mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto. Both face formidable Chinese opposition on Thursday, but victories would not only keep India's campaign alive but also provide a timely confidence boost ahead of the World Championships on home soil.
India's Day 3 Schedule (Thursday)
Court 1
PV Sindhu vs Han Yue (China) [5]
Time: 6:20 AM IST
Court 2
Dhruv Kapila / Tanisha Crasto vs Feng Yan Zhe / Huang Dong Ping (China) [1]
Time: 6:20 AM IST
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