Asian Games 2026: India blank Kazakhstan, set up quarterfinal against Japan in women’s badminton

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P.V. Sindhu, ranked 11 th in the world, needed 24 minutes to beat Kamila Smagulova 21-7, 21-9 in the opening rubber. | Photo Credit: Reuters

India cruised past a lowly-ranked Kazakhstan 3-0 in the women’s team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Nagoya on Sunday (September 20, 2026), setting up a challenging quarterfinal against hosts Japan.

At the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, Indian stalwarts P.V. Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, and Tanvi Sharma completed a comfortable sweep without dropping a game.

Sindhu, ranked 11 th in the world, needed 24 minutes to beat Kamila Smagulova 21-7, 21-9 in the opening rubber. Kazakhstan's top woman shuttler Kamila's BWF world ranking is a lowly 426.

The world No. 24 Unnati then breezed past Alissa Kuleshova (WR 866) 21-7, 21-10 in 22 minutes, before the world No. 26 Tanvi Sharma sealed the tie even quicker, defeating Diana Namenova (WR 1067) 21-5, 21-10.

But the road from here is set to be a difficult affair for India, who had returned empty-handed from Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 after losing to Thailand in quarters.

Japan promises a far sterner test, with the hosts boasting three singles players inside the world's top 10 — Akane Yamaguchi (No. 3), Tomoka Miyazaki (No. 7) and Nozomi Okuhara (No. 10).

Hence, the likely singles match-ups could see Sindhu face Yamaguchi, while Unnati take on Miyazaki, and India's women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand could face Japan's world No. 3 combination of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.

“We have a good team, and Japan also is a good, strong team, so it’s going to be a tough one,” said the Indian double Olympic medalist.

“Each match is important and it is going to be a good match, so hoping for the best, and I hope we win.” Making her fourth Asian Games appearance, the 31-year-old Sindhu who has a team bronze and individual silver, is also taking up a leadership role.

“A lot of girls are playing at the Asian Games for the first time, so I am taking it in a responsible way,” Sindhu said.

“I would tell them what is good and what mistakes they are making, or how they are playing. It’s good to always guide them. Being an experienced player, I think that is a responsibility.”

If they cross the quarterfinal hurdle, India would have a potential semifinal against South Korea, which has the world No. 1 An Se-young and the world champion doubles combination of Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee in their line-up.