Badminton Asia C’ships: Dhruv-Tanisha only bright spot on Day 1

Ningbo: India’s leading mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the second round, but the duo of Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani crashed out of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, which got underway here on Tuesday.

Kapila and Crasto won 21-14, 11-21, 21-15 over Thailand’s Phuwanat Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard.

However, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani went down fighting against Malaysia’s eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie 13-21 19-21 in a 34-minute contest at the Ningbo Olympic Centre.

The Indian duo of Kapoor and Shivani struggled to find rhythm early on, conceding the first game comfortably, but showed signs of resistance in the second before the experienced Malaysian combination shut the door in straight games.

In another match, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also failed to cross the opening hurdle, losing 16-21 15-21 to Malaysia’s Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien in 31 minutes. The focus will shift to singles competition on Wednesday with India’s top stars set to begin their campaigns. Lakshya Sen will spearhead the men’s singles challenge.

The country’s top-ranked shuttler faces a tricky opening match against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, against whom the Indian has a 2-3 head-to-head record.

In the women’s singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu returns to action after a disrupted European leg and will open her campaign against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.In women’s singles, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu returns to action after a disrupted European leg and will open her campaign against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.

Apart from Sen and Sindhu, India will also have Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Ayush Shetty in men’s singles, while Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda and Malvika Bansod will feature in the women’s draw, with all of them slated to begin their campaigns on Wednesday.