Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 26 : Indian badminton star PV Sindhu advanced to the women's singles round of 16 at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-chian in straight games on Saturday.
Sindhu registered a 21-19, 21-14 victory over Chiu in the second-round clash to progress further in the competition. The Indian shuttler had a closely fought opening game as Chiu kept the contest competitive, but Sindhu managed to hold her composure and take the game 21-19. She then stepped up her performance in the second game, gaining control of the rallies to seal it 21-14.
Sindhu will now face a tougher challenge in the next round as she takes on Japan's world No. 7 Tomoka Miyazaki later on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Indian squash player Abhay Singh booked his place in the men's singles final after defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in straight games in the semifinal.
Abhay produced a dominant display to win 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 and sealed his spot in the gold medal match.
The Indian controlled the opening game before facing a stronger challenge from Irfan in the second, where he held his nerve to close it out 12-10. He then comfortably wrapped up the third game 11-6 to complete a 3-0 victory.
Abhay, ranked 26th in the world, will face the winner of the semifinal between Pakistan's Noor Zaman and Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng in the final.
Meanwhile, India enjoyed a successful day at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, with the women's kabaddi team clinching the gold medal after defeating Iran 37-34 in the final.
Squash produced more medal hopes for India as Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh advanced to their respective singles finals. Anahat defeated Japan's Satomi Watanabe 3-2 in a thrilling women's semifinal comeback, while Abhay beat Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan 3-0 in the men's semifinal. Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured a bronze medal after losing their mixed doubles semifinal.
In athletics, Sawan Barwal won silver in the men's marathon with a national record timing of 2:11:37. Decathletes Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad continued their events, with Tejaswin finishing first in long jump and standing third overall after shot put. Animesh Kujur also qualified for the men's 200m semifinal.
Indian shooters added another medal as Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod won silver in the women's 50m rifle 3P team event. Tilottama and Vidarsa later finished fourth and fifth respectively in the individual final.
In badminton, PV Sindhu, Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda progressed in their singles events, while Lakshya Sen exited after losing to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.
Boxer Kapil Pokhariya entered the men's 90kg quarterfinals after defeating Iran's Sam Estaki, whereas Jadumani Singh bowed out after losing to Philippines' Carlo Paalam.
India also produced strong performances in archery, with Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep finishing second in women's recurve team qualification, while Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge secured third place in men's recurve team qualification.
In fencing, India progressed to the quarterfinals in women's foil and men's sabre team events after round-of-16 wins but later lost to Japan and South Korea respectively. Canoe sprint saw Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar reach Final A, while Harshwardhan Shaktawat advanced to Final B.
Other results included India's defeat to Japan in Pokémon Unite esports, table tennis losses for Yashaswini Ghorpade and Manush Shah, and dressage riders Hriday Vipul Chheda, Jai Sud and Shruti Vora finishing outside the top positions after the second qualification round. Surfing events featuring Indian athletes were postponed due to conditions.