Indian Shuttlers Secure a Dominant Victory Over Kazakhstan

India’s women’s badminton team made a strong start at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, defeating Kazakhstan 3-0 in the Round of 16 on Sunday to advance to the quarter finals. P.V. Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma delivered wins in their respective singles matches. Sindhu opened the tie with a 21-7, 21-9 victory over Kamila Smagulova. In the second singles, Unnati Hooda defeated Alissa Kuleshova 21-7, 21-10 to extend India’s lead to 2-0.

Tanvi Sharma completed the clean sweep by beating Diana Namenova 21-5, 21-10 in the third singles match, sealing a 3-0 win for India. The three Indian shuttlers completed their matches in a combined 65 minutes. India will next face hosts Japan in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Japan received a bye in the opening round and will now meet India in a crucial contest.