Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 26 (ANI): Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women's singles event after defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching in a thrilling three-game contest at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday.
Unnati registered a 2-1 (21-14, 20-22, 21-19) victory over Wong to seal her place in the next round, where she will face Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani.
The Indian, ranked 25th in the world, started strongly and secured the opening game 21-14. However, Wong, who is ranked 38th in the world, fought back in the second game and forced a decider with a narrow 22-20 win.
The second game saw a close battle, with Unnati holding a sizeable lead at the interval. However, the change of ends shifted the momentum as Wong took control and moved ahead 17-16 before closing out the game to level the match.
In the deciding game, both players remained locked in a tight contest. Unnati stepped up under pressure and earned two match points at 20-18. Wong saved one opportunity but sent a cross-court shot wide on the next point, allowing the Indian to clinch the match with a 21-19 win. Unnati will now aim to continue her run when she takes on Putri Kusuma Wardani in the pre-quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, India opened the day with a strong medal haul at the Asian Games 2026 as Sawan Barwal clinched silver in the men's marathon with a national record time of 2:11:37. In shooting, Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod won the team silver medal in the women's 50m rifle 3P event, while Tilottama (third with 590 points) and Vidarsa (65th with 588 points) qualified for the final.
In squash, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured a bronze medal after losing their mixed doubles semifinal against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi.
Badminton saw mixed results as Unnati Hooda advanced to the women's singles pre-quarterfinals after defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching, while Lakshya Sen bowed out after losing to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the men's singles second round.
Indian archers delivered strong performances in qualification rounds. Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep finished second in the women's team compound qualification, while Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge secured third place in men's team recurve qualification, with Dhiraj setting Asian and national records.
In athletics, Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad continued their decathlon campaign, with Tejaswin leading the long jump event and staying in medal contention. Animesh Kujur qualified for the men's 200m semifinal after topping his heat.
India also progressed in fencing, with the women's foil team and men's sabre team winning their respective round-of-16 matches before later exiting in the quarterfinals against Japan and South Korea. In canoe sprint, Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar reached Final A in mixed kayak double 500m, while Harshwardhan Shaktawat advanced to Final B.
Table tennis players Yashaswini Ghorpade and Manush Shah exited in the singles rounds, while esports player Paritosh lost in the Puyo Puyo Champions quarterfinal. India also finished eighth in the mixed canoe double 500m final through Raju Rawat and Neha Devi Leichonbam. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: Unnati Hooda beats Wong Ling Ching to enter women's singles pre-quarters
