Unnati Hooda Falls Short as India Faces Japan in Badminton Quarterfinals

In a challenging quarterfinal match at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, Indian badminton player Unnati Hooda faced a tough defeat against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, leaving India trailing 2-0. Despite a strong start, Hooda lost momentum in both games. Earlier, P.V. Sindhu also struggled against Yamaguchi, ultimately losing her match. With the women's doubles team now tasked with keeping India's hopes alive, the pressure mounts as they prepare to face their Japanese opponents. India's women's badminton team has historically struggled in the Asian Games, having secured only one team medal in 2014.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 22, 2026, 15:19 IST

India's Challenge in Badminton Quarterfinals

File image of veteran badminton player P.V. Sindhu(Photo: @Pvsindhu1/X)

Ichinomiya City, Sep 22: In a tough quarterfinal match at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, Indian player Unnati Hooda was unable to secure a win against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, leaving India trailing 2-0 in the tie.

Unnati started strong, leading 11-10 at the first game's break, but lost her edge, allowing Yamaguchi to rally and take the first game 21-16.

In the second game, Hooda initially led 11-4, but as the game progressed, she fell behind 15-16, ultimately losing 18-21 as Yamaguchi maintained her advantage.

With the pressure on, the women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand must now step up to keep India's hopes alive against Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.

Earlier, in the first match, two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu faced Yamaguchi, where she fought hard but ultimately lost 21-23, 21-18, 21-11. Sindhu managed to recover from a 6-10 deficit to win the first game 23-21, but could not maintain the momentum.

In the second game, despite a strong comeback from 12-17 down, Yamaguchi's consistent play allowed her to take the game 21-18. The final game saw Yamaguchi dominate, with Sindhu trailing 4-11 at the halfway point, leading to an 11-21 defeat.

Historically, India's women's badminton team has secured only one Asian Games team medal, a bronze in 2014, and faced elimination in the quarterfinals in 2023 after a 0-3 loss to Thailand.