India’s men’s badminton team ended its Asian Games campaign with a bronze medal after losing 1-3 to China in the semifinal on Wednesday. China once again proved to be India’s stumbling block at the continental event. India had won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where they were also beaten by China in the final.

Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty could not get past their higher-ranked opponents, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the only Indian pair to register a win in the semifinal.

Lakshya Sen Goes Down In Opening Match

World No. 14 Lakshya Sen was given the difficult task of facing world No. 6 Shi Yu Qi in the opening singles match.

Lakshya had played a key role in India’s run to the semifinals but could not produce his best against the Chinese shuttler. Shi Yu Qi controlled the match and won 21-16, 21-18 to put China 1-0 ahead.

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Satwik-Chirag Bring India Back

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then kept India’s hopes alive with an impressive win in the first doubles match.

The Indian duo defeated Paris Olympic silver medallists and reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20.

The victory brought India level at 1-1 and gave the team a much-needed boost heading into the second singles.

Ayush Shetty Unable To Stop China

Young Ayush Shetty was next on court for India against world No. 12 Li Shi Feng.

The world No. 20 Indian struggled to maintain his rhythm and discipline against the higher-ranked Chinese player. Li eventually won 21-19, 21-13, putting China within one victory of the final.

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China Seal The Semifinal

Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun were then given the responsibility of keeping India in the contest.

The world No. 25 Indian pair faced He Ji Ting and Liu Yi in the second doubles match. He Ji Ting had entered the team at the last minute after Chen Boyang fell ill.

The Indians fought hard and even levelled the match after losing the opening game, but China held its nerve in the decider. He Ji Ting and Liu Yi won 21-16, 17-21, 21-9 to seal a 3-1 victory for China.

India Create A 40-Year Milestone

Despite the semifinal defeat, India leave the Asian Games with a significant achievement.

The bronze medal means the Indian men’s team has won medals at consecutive editions of the Asian Games for the first time in 40 years. India had previously won bronze in the 1982 and 1986 editions before claiming silver in Hangzhou in 2023 and bronze again this time.


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