New Delhi, August 19: India’s PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026, while Unnati Hood suffered a heartbreaking defeat on Day 3 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Former champion and ninth seed PV Sindhu produced a composed performance to defeat Canada’s Zhang Wen Yu 21-16, 21-17 in 37 minutes. Sindhu will now face third seed Wang Zi Yi of China in the round of 16.
Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run with a dominant 21-8, 21-10 victory over Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama. The Indian needed just 26 minutes to seal the win and book his place in the pre-quarterfinals. Ayush will next face Indonesia’s 11th seed Alwi Farhan.
However, Unnati Hood’s campaign came to an agonising end in the second round. Making her World Championships debut, Unnati pushed 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada to the limit before losing 21-11, 9-21, 21-23.
Unnati had two match points in the deciding game but could not convert either opportunity. Her pushes went wide on both occasions, allowing Li to regain control and eventually seal the match with a down-the-line smash.
With Sindhu and Ayush progressing, India will have strong representation in the singles pre-quarterfinals, while Unnati’s narrow defeat brought an end to her promising debut at the world championships.
