India began their women’s badminton campaign at the 2026 Asian Games on a winning note, defeating Kazakhstan 3-0 to book a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu set the tone for India with a comfortable 21-7, 21-9 victory over Kamila Smagulova in the opening singles match.
Unnati Hooda then extended India’s lead with a straight-game win over Alissa Kuleshova. The youngster won 21-7, 21-10 to leave India one victory away from sealing the tie.
Seventeen-year-old Tanvi Sharma completed the clean sweep, overcoming Diana Namenova 21-5, 21-10 in the third singles match.
India will face Japan in the quarterfinals on September 22, with a place in the medal rounds at stake.
India have won 13 Asian Games medals in badminton, including one gold, two silver and 10 bronze. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty created history at the Hangzhou Games in 2022 by winning India’s first badminton gold at the Asian Games.
The Indian women’s team will now aim to add another gold to the country’s badminton record as the competition moves into the knockout stage.
