India secured a place in the men’s badminton team semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 after producing a commanding 3-0 victory over Japan in the quarterfinal at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Lakshya Sen gave India the opening point after battling past Kodai Naraoka in a three-game contest. Sen lost the opening game 11-21 before responding emphatically to take the second 21-5.
The Indian then found himself five points behind in the deciding game but fought back to complete an 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 victory and put India 1-0 ahead in the tie.
Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty strengthened India’s position in the doubles encounter against Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
The Indian pair took the opening game 21-18 before being pushed hard in the second. Rankireddy and Shetty held their nerve during the closing stages to claim it 24-22, completing a straight-game victory and giving India a 2-0 advantage.
Ayush Shetty then ensured there would be no comeback for Japan as he defeated Koki Watanabe to seal the quarterfinal.
Shetty dominated the opening game 21-10 and faced a closer challenge in the second. He eventually prevailed 21-19 to complete the straight-game win and secure India’s 3-0 triumph.
The victory continued India’s unbeaten run in the men’s team competition. The side had also recorded a 3-0 result against Bangladesh in the round of 16 before facing the tougher Japanese challenge in the last eight.
India will return to action in the semifinal on Wednesday, where it will face the winner of the quarterfinal between China and South Korea.
The Indian men will be looking to reach the Asian Games team final for a second successive edition.
India claimed the silver medal in the men’s team event at the previous Asian Games after reaching the title contest. China denied India the gold medal on that occasion with victory in the final.
With Sen producing a comeback in the opening match, Rankireddy and Shetty delivering in the doubles and Ayush Shetty finishing the job, India advanced without needing to play the remaining matches of the quarterfinal tie.
