Singapore Open 2026: Sindhu, Lakshya, Satwik-Chirag and Dhruv-Tanisha March Into Quarterfinals

India’s top badminton stars continued their impressive run at the Singapore Open 2026 as PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto all booked their places in the quarterfinals on Thursday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It turned into one of India’s strongest collective days on the BWF World Tour this season, with multiple categories delivering significant results against quality opposition at the Super 750 tournament.

Leading the charge was two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who produced another commanding display to defeat Japan’s Riko Gunji in straight games 21-9, 21-12 in just 37 minutes. The Indian looked in complete control throughout the contest, dictating rallies from the baseline and using her superior attacking game to dominate both games from start to finish.

Sindhu barely allowed Gunji any rhythm during the match. Her movement looked sharp, her smashes carried authority and perhaps most encouragingly, she appeared physically comfortable across long exchanges an aspect that had troubled her during several tournaments over the past season. The victory also confirmed Sindhu’s return to the world’s top 10 rankings, marking another important milestone in what has been a gradual rebuilding phase after injury setbacks and inconsistent results in 2025.

However, Sindhu now faces arguably her toughest challenge of the season when she takes on reigning world No. 1 An Se-young in the quarterfinals. The Korean superstar has historically dominated this rivalry, but Sindhu’s improved rhythm in Singapore gives Indian fans reason to believe she could produce a stronger contest this time around.

In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen progressed to the last eight under unusual circumstances after Thailand’s world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn retired from their Round of 16 clash with only two points played in the opening game. While the retirement denied fans a blockbuster battle between two of the world’s finest young shuttlers, the result nonetheless sends Lakshya into another major quarterfinal on tour.

The Indian had entered the contest looking for revenge after his loss to Kunlavut at the Thailand Open earlier this year. Though the match ended prematurely, Lakshya will take confidence from his overall movement and sharpness this week, especially after opening the tournament with a strong straight-games win over China’s Lu Guang Zu.

Lakshya next faces Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the quarterfinals a match that offers the Indian a genuine opportunity to push for a semifinal appearance. Meanwhile, HS Prannoy’s impressive campaign came to an end after the experienced Indian lost to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in a hard-fought three-game battle.

Prannoy, who had stunned world No. 5 Jonatan Christie in the opening round, fought strongly once again but eventually went down 18-21, 21-16, 15-21 against the home favourite. The Indian once again showed his trademark resilience after losing the first game, responding brilliantly to force a decider. However, Loh’s pace and attacking sharpness proved decisive in the final game as the Singaporean closed out the match in front of a vocal home crowd.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/pv-sindhu-returns-to-top-10-with-dominant-run-into-singapore-open-2026-quarterfinals

Despite the defeat, Prannoy leaves Singapore with positives after producing one of his best tournaments in recent months. His victory over Christie had already underlined that the former world No. 6 still possesses the quality to challenge elite opponents on the biggest stages.

In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their strong comeback run with another gritty victory. The fourth-seeded Indian pair defeated Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan 21-15, 11-21, 21-18 in a high-intensity contest to move into the quarterfinals.

Satwik and Chirag started aggressively, dominating the opening game with their trademark attacking combinations and quick interceptions at the net. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the second game as the Taipei pair controlled the flat exchanges and forced errors from the Indians. The deciding game turned into a tense affair, but Satwik-Chirag showed their experience during crucial moments to close out the victory. With the win, the Indian duo extended their head-to-head dominance over Lee and Yang to 7-0.

The former world No. 1 pair will next face Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai the same pair that knocked them out of the All England Open earlier this year. The quarterfinal therefore offers Satwik and Chirag an opportunity for revenge while also continuing their momentum ahead of bigger events later this season.

Perhaps the most impressive comeback of the day came from Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto in mixed doubles.

After losing the opening game 8-21 against Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi, the Indian pair looked in serious trouble. However, Dhruv and Tanisha responded brilliantly, raising the intensity of their attack and improving their control in mid-court exchanges to win the next two games 21-17, 21-16.

The victory is among the biggest of their partnership so far, especially considering Watanabe’s pedigree as one of the finest mixed doubles players in the world. Dhruv and Tanisha now face another massive challenge against third-seeded Malaysians Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in the quarterfinals.

With multiple Indians still alive across categories, the Singapore Open has suddenly turned into one of India’s strongest tournaments of the 2026 BWF season so far — and the possibility of deep runs now looks very real.