Host nation India endured a mixed second day at the BWF World Championships 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, recording three victories and three defeats across singles and doubles events. Commonwealth Games gold medalist Lakshya Sen fought back from a set down to secure his place in the Round of 32, while teenager Unnati Hooda marked her tournament debut with a victory.
Meanwhile, India’s premier women’s doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand delivered a standout performance to advance into the Round of 16.
Lakshya Sen battles back to clear opening hurdle in New Delhi at BWF World Championship 2026
Fourteenth seed Lakshya Sen survived a tricky opening-round test against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon, digging deep to claim a three-game victory in 45 minutes:
- Slow start: Struggling with conditions early on Court 1, Sen dropped the opening set 16-21 as Filimon capitalized on attacking opportunities.
- Dominant response: The former World Championship bronze medalist turned the match around in the second game, dominating net exchanges and smashing steep downward angles to sweep it 21-8.
- Closing out the decider: Maintaining relentless speed and defensive coverage, Sen raced out to an 11-1 lead at the interval before closing out a 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 victory to book his spot in the Round of 32.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand power into Round of 16 with upset win at BWF World Championship
India’s top women’s doubles combination of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand delivered a clinical performance to upset 16th seeds Allison Lee and Lauren Lam of the USA in the Round of 32. Returning to Court 1 without a rest day following their opening victory, the world No. 39 Indian duo took just 39 minutes to seal a convincing 21-15, 21-12 win.
Gayatri controlled the front court with sharp net interceptions, while Treesa produced powerful backcourt smashes to keep the American pair under constant pressure. After pulling away in the opening game, the Indian pair launched a seven-point streak in the second set to seal the victory and secure their passage into the pre-quarterfinals.
Unnati Hooda shines on debut while Indian doubles duos exit at BWF World Championship
In women’s singles, 18-year-old Unnati Hooda marked her BWF World Championship debut with a hard-fought 22-20, 21-16 victory over Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar to reach the second round:
- Solid singles victory: Hooda displayed great composure in the opening set to edge past Thuzar 22-20 before comfortable closing out the second game.
- Mixed doubles setbacks: Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde lost in three sets to Canada’s Lai siblings, while Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh fell to Turkey’s Emre Sönmez and Yasemin Bektaş after a marathon second game that reached 30-29.
- Women’s doubles elimination: Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Bulgarian sisters Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva.
Edited by Ashwin
