- Sindhu and Ayush Shetty exit early.
- Chirag-Satwik remain India’s big hope.
- Treesa-Gayatri aim for a deep run.
India's singles campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 came to an abrupt end on Thursday as two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and young star Ayush Shetty suffered Round-of-16 defeats at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Sindhu went down to China's third seed Wang Zhi Yi, while Ayush was beaten by Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. The exits came on a day when India's doubles contingent provided a much-needed boost, with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reaching the quarter-finals.
Sindhu's Fighting Comeback Falls Short
Sindhu's campaign ended after a hard-fought battle against third-seeded Wang Zhi Yi.
The Indian started slowly and lost the opening game 11-21 before producing a spirited response in the second. Sindhu raised her intensity and took the game 21-15 to force a decider.
However, Wang regained control in the final game to close out the contest and end Sindhu's hopes of winning a record sixth World Championships medal on home soil.
Sindhu had entered the tournament carrying significant expectations. The former world champion already has five World Championships medals and was chasing an outright record sixth medal in New Delhi.
Ayush's Dream Run Ends Against Farhan
Ayush Shetty's impressive World Championships debut also came to an end in the Round of 16.
The 11th-seeded Indian lost 19-21, 11-21 to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. Ayush remained competitive during the opening game but could not sustain the momentum as Farhan took control in the second.
The defeat nevertheless brings an encouraging end to a breakthrough tournament for the 21-year-old. Ayush had stunned defending champion and world No.1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round, defeating the Chinese star 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in one of the tournament's biggest upsets.
Treesa-Gayatri Keep India's Medal Hopes Alive
While the singles stars bowed out, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand delivered one of India's biggest wins of the tournament.
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The unseeded Indian women's doubles pair stunned Japan's seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-12 to storm into the quarter-finals.
The result is particularly significant as Treesa and Gayatri are now just one victory away from securing a World Championships medal.
The pair's progress has emerged as one of the brightest stories for India at the home World Championships, especially after several established singles players exited earlier in the competition.
With Sindhu and Ayush out, India's biggest remaining medal expectation now rests on the shoulders of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.The fifth-seeded men's doubles pair are scheduled to face Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King in the Round of 16 on Thursday evening.