Indian Mixed Doubles Team Exits BWF World Championships After Defeat

Indian Duo Falls Short in BWF World Championships

New Delhi [India] - On August 20, Indian mixed doubles team Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto faced elimination from the BWF World Championships 2026, suffering a straight-game loss to China's Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui during the pre-quarterfinals held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

The Indian pair lost with scores of 16-21, 5-21 in the Round of 16, concluding their journey at the home championships.

While they showed competitiveness in the first game, the duo struggled to maintain their form in the second. A series of unforced errors allowed their opponents to establish a significant lead, with the Indians managing only five points in the latter game.

Tanisha expressed her disappointment regarding their performance on home turf, stating, “We’re very disappointed that we couldn’t deliver our best, especially here at home. The first set was a good contest, but we lost control in the second, and they capitalized on that, playing exceptionally well. We take full responsibility for not meeting expectations today, and we wish we could have performed better.”

She noted that a series of simple mistakes hindered their ability to disrupt the Chinese team's rhythm, saying, “We started giving away easy points due to simple errors, which accumulated. We couldn’t break their momentum, and the lead grew significantly. We tried to recover, but it just didn’t happen.”

Dhruv also acknowledged his role in the defeat, admitting that his mistakes in the second game hindered their strategy. “The plan was straightforward, but I made too many errors in the second game. When under pressure, especially with my mistakes, it became challenging to execute our plan. Even the coach's advice wouldn’t help if I kept making simple mistakes. I should have performed better,” he reflected.

Kapila and Crasto had advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after a solid straight-set victory against Macao's Leong Iok Chong and Ng Weng Chi, winning 21-11, 21-11. However, they were unable to replicate that success against the Chinese pair and were ultimately eliminated from this prestigious tournament on home soil.