New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 with straight-game victories on Wednesday, while Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda suffered hard-fought defeats at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.
Ayush produced another commanding performance, dispatching Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in just 26 minutes in the men's singles Round of 32, as per ESPN.
The Indian, who stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, made a blistering start and quickly established an 11-3 lead in the first game. Abeywickrama struggled to cope with Shetty's precise attacking strokes as the Indian wrapped up the opening game 21-8.
Shetty continued to dominate in the second game, racing to an 11-point lead before the Sri Lankan attempted a late fightback. The Indian remained in control and closed out the contest 21-10.
Shetty will face Indonesia's rising star Alwi Farhan in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
Simultaneously, PV Sindhu also progressed to the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-16, 21-17 victory over Canada's Wen Yu Zhang.
The five-time World Championships medallist was tested at various stages but responded whenever Zhang threatened to gain momentum. Sindhu maintained her composure in the closing stages of both games to complete the win in straight games.
However, India's men's singles campaign suffered a major setback as Lakshya Sen was knocked out by USA's world No. 92 Garret Tan. The 18-year-old American stunned the 14th-seeded Indian 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a thrilling second-round encounter.
Unnati Hooda's maiden World Championships campaign also came to an end after the 18-year-old lost a closely fought women's singles Round of 32 contest to Canada's 13th seed Michelle Li 21-11, 9-21, 21-23.
In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost 17-21, 14-21 to South Korea's 15th-seeded Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.
India's mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced after defeating Macau's Leong Lok Chong and Ng Weng Chi 21-11, 21-11.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also progressed to the next round after receiving a walkover from Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle.
With Ayush and Sindhu's victories, India continued to remain in contention across the singles draws, though Lakshya and Unnati's exits made it a mixed day for the hosts. (ANI)
BWF World Championships: Ayush Shetty, PV Sindhu advance to pre-quarterfinals
