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India's BATC 2026 Campaign Ends in Quarterfinals Against China, Korea

India's campaign at the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 concluded in the quarterfinals. The women's team was defeated 0-3 by the formidable defending champions China. The men's team, missing key players, put up a fight but ultimately fell 1-3 to Korea, with Kidambi Srikanth providing the only victory. Close matches, including a narrow loss by Ayush Shetty after holding match points, highlighted the contests.

Key Points: India Exits BATC 2026 in Quarterfinals

  • Men's team lost 1-3 to Korea
  • Women's team lost 0-3 to China
  • Kidambi Srikanth secured sole win
  • Ayush Shetty missed match points
  • Teams missed key players like Lakshya Sen
3 min read

BATC 2026: India's campaign ends at QFs as women lose to China and men go down against Korea

India's men's and women's badminton teams lose in the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 quarterfinals to Korea and China respectively.

"India could not match the strength of the formidable Chinese women's team in the absence of PV Sindhu."

Qingado, Feb 6

India's challenge in the Badminton Asia Team Championships being played at Qingdao, China, came to an end after the men went down 1-3 against Korea while the women lost 0-3 against favourites China in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Having qualified second in Group C behind Japan, India depended on their singles strength against Korea in the men's quarterfinal in the absence of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Lakshya Sen. And it looked like their strategy paid off when Ayush Shetty earned three match points in the first singles against Yoo Tae Bin in the decider. But the former world junior bronze medalist failed to convert those three and despite saving three match points himself and earning one more, the Indian ultimately suffered a 18-21, 21-14, 26-24 reversal in an hour and 24 minutes.

Korea extended their lead with Song Hyun Cho and Kim Won Ho beating the Indian scratch combination of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Chirag Shetty 21-11, 21-13.

Former world number 1 Kidambi Srikanth kept India's hopes alive with a 21-15, 21-16 win over Choi Ji Hoon but Korea wrapped the match in the second doubles with Jin Yong and Ki Dong Ju defeating Pruthvi K Roy and K Sai Pratheek 21-11, 21-16.

Earlier, defending champions India could not match the strength of the formidable Chinese women's team in the absence of PV Sindhu. World no. 10 Gao Fang Jie started their march towards the semifinals with a 21-9, 21-9 win over Tanvi Sharma in the first singles.

India's top doubles combination of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand earned a game point in the opening game against world no. 4 pairing of Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian but went down 24-22, 21-18.

Rakshita Sree then raised hopes of a fight back when she bagged the opening game against Xu Wen Jing but could not sustain the momentum and lost 14-21, 21-15, 21-17.

Result:

Women: India lost to China 0-3

(Tanvi Sharma lost to Gao Fang Jie 9-21, 9-21; Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand lost to Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian 22-24, 18-21; Rakshitha Sree lost to Xu Wen Jing 21-14, 15-21, 17-21

Men: India lost to Korea 1-3

(Ayush Shetty lost to Yoo Tae Bin 21-18, 14-21, 24-26; Hariharan Amsakarunan/Chirag Shetty lost to Song Hyun Cho/Kim Won Ho 11-21, 13-21; Kidambi Srikanth bt Choi Ji Hoon 21-15, 21-16; Pruthvi K Roy/K Sai Pratheek lost to Jin Yong/Ki Dong Ju 11-21, 16-21)

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Without Sindhu, our women's team was always going to struggle against China. But Rakshita Sree winning the first game shows there is potential. We need more depth in the women's singles category. Good experience for the youngsters though!
R
Rohit P
The doubles performance is a major concern. The scores were too one-sided. We rely so heavily on Satwik-Chirag. Where is the bench strength? BAI needs to invest more in doubles specialists. Srikanth's win was a silver lining.
S
Sarah B
Watching from the US. Tough results, but reaching the QFs in Asia is an achievement. The men took a game off Korea, and the women fought hard against the hosts. Keep your heads up, Team India! The fight was there.
K
Karthik V
Respectful criticism: Our players seem to lack the killer instinct to close out tight matches. Ayush had it in his grasp. Treesa/Gayatri had a game point. At this level, you must win those crucial points. Mental conditioning is as important as physical training.
N
Nisha Z
Proud of the team! China and Korea are badminton powerhouses. Playing them so close without our full-strength squad is commendable. Let's support them for the next tournaments. Onwards and upwards! 💪

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