India Men Sweep Japan 3-0 to Secure Asian Games Medal

India’s men’s badminton team secured an Asian Games medal by sweeping Japan 3-0 in Tuesday’s quarterfinal, with Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty delivering the three decisive wins. The result sends India into the last four, where it will face either defending champions China or Korea on Wednesday.

The victory was especially significant for a side that arrived as silver medallists from the previous edition. India did not need to contest the remaining two rubbers after taking control through a comeback singles win, a tight doubles result and a straight-games finish in the second singles match.

Lakshya Sen turns the tie after late comeback

Lakshya gave India the opening point with a 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 victory over world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka, a two-time World Championships silver medallist. The Indian had come into the event after a run of early exits and was up against an opponent who had beaten him in four of their previous five meetings.

Naraoka won the first game 21-11, but Lakshya responded emphatically after the change of sides. He surged to an 11-2 lead in the second game and extended it to 16-3, mixing his shots as his opponent struggled to keep the shuttle in court. Lakshya closed out the game 21-5 to level the match.

The deciding game appeared to be slipping away when Naraoka led 11-6 at the interval and then moved 16-10 ahead. Two errors from Lakshya put the Japanese player 19-14 in front, leaving India close to losing the opening rubber. Lakshya then reeled off seven consecutive points to complete a dramatic turnaround. He earned match point with two precise returns to the back line, before Naraoka hit his next shot into the net.

That recovery gave India a 1-0 advantage and set the platform for the doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The pair, who have won two titles this season, beat former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-18, 24-22. Their second-game win proved particularly important, as India moved one point away from sealing the tie.

Ayush Shetty completed the sweep with a 21-10, 21-19 win over world No. 16 Koki Watanabe. A finalist at this year’s Badminton Asia Championships, Ayush controlled the first game and held firm in the second to secure India’s place in the semifinals and guarantee a medal.

Women’s team exits after Japan defeat

The men’s result lifted the mood after India’s women’s team lost 1-3 to Japan in its quarterfinal earlier on Tuesday. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, World Championships bronze medallists, produced India’s winning performance, but the singles players were unable to take the team through.

In one of the key singles contests, Sindhu lost to Yamaguchi despite taking the opening game 23-21. Sindhu had recovered from a 13-17 deficit to claim the opener and the former world champions produced rallies averaging 35 to 36 shots. Yamaguchi levelled the match by taking the second game 21-18, then pulled away in the decider after Sindhu fell 6-14 behind. Yamaguchi eventually created 10 match points and finished the contest with a precise return.

For the Indian men, however, the 3-0 result ensured another Asian Games team medal and a semifinal opportunity against China or Korea. Former India coach Vimal Kumar said the win over Japan brought back memories of India’s victory against the same opposition at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.