Asian Games 2026: Treesa-Gayatri, Dhruv-Tanisha Bow Out as India Chase Big Medal Haul
India's campaign in the badminton doubles events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 came to an end on Sunday (September 27, 2026), with both the women's doubles and mixed doubles pairs going out in the quarterfinals.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who won a maiden World Championships bronze in New Delhi last month, lost 18-21, 9-21 to Malaysia's world No. 5 pair of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. The Indian duo kept pace with their higher-ranked opponents for much of the opening game before a run of unforced errors allowed the Malaysians to take control. They were unable to recover in the second game, which the Malaysians won comfortably.
Tan and Muralitharan, ranked fifth in the world, are among the leading women's doubles combinations on the international circuit, and their experience showed in the closing stages of the first game.
In the mixed doubles quarterfinals, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto produced a spirited effort against China's world No. 1 pair of Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping before going down 14-21, 21-18, 18-21. The Indians took the second game to force a decider, but the top seeds edged ahead in the final stages of the third.
The two defeats close India's involvement in those draws, but the country remains in contention for medals across several sports on what is expected to be one of its busiest days at the Games.
In shooting, Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat will compete in the women's 25m pistol event. In athletics, Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan will feature in the women's long jump final, while steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar will also be chasing podium finishes.
Badminton fans will turn their attention to P.V. Sindhu, who plays her women's singles quarterfinal. In squash, both Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh have reached the singles finals, where they will face Malaysian opponents for gold.
Saturday (September 26, 2026) proved productive for India, with medals arriving in kabaddi, athletics, shooting and squash, and two squash singles finals secured. India's kabaddi teams were dominant, winning a double gold.
India have so far won 30 medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 — four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze.
The Asian Games, held once every four years, bring together athletes from across the continent in a multi-sport competition. For India, the coming days will determine how far the contingent can build on its current tally, with finals and quarterfinals scheduled across shooting, athletics, badminton and squash.
