It was a dismal day for the Indian contingent at the BWF Japan Open 2026 in Tokyo as the nation’s singles campaign suffered a massive blow. Rising stars Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda, alongside poster boy Lakshya Sen, all crashed out in their respective opening-round matches on Wednesday. With the entire singles field wiped out, now the two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu remains the only Indian singles player left standing in the BWF Super 750 tournament.
Lakshya Sen stunned in straight games
India’s top men’s singles bet, world No. 14 Lakshya Sen, endured a surprisingly swift exit at the hands of Japan’s Koki Watanabe. In a match that lasted just 38 minutes, Watanabe thoroughly dominated the proceedings. Sen struggled to find his rhythm, trailing at the mid-game intervals of both games before ultimately bowing out with a straight-game 16-21, 14-21 defeat.
Ayush and Unnati show grit but fall short
Youngster Ayush Shetty put up a spirited fight against the world No. 2 seed and Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. After dropping a staccato opening game, Shetty proved to be a difficult opponent in the second, saving four match points to push it into a decider with a 25-23 win. However, the top-tier experience of Vitidsarn proved too much in the final stretch, ending Shetty’s run with a 19-21, 25-23, 15-21 scoreline.
In the women’s singles draw, world No. 24 Unnati Hooda suffered a similar heartbreak. Despite taking the opening game against Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun, Hooda lost her momentum and fell 21-16, 16-21, 15-21.
 Who remains for India at Japan Open 2026 and what’s next for PV Sindhu?
Following today’s mass exodus, the only surviving Indian representatives in Tokyo are PV Sindhu in women’s singles and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto.
Sindhu had securely sealed her spot in the next stage a day earlier on Tuesday, comfortably defeating Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching 21-14, 21-11.
Next Opponent: PV Sindhu will face China’s Han Yue in the Round of 16.
Match Date: The match is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, 2026 early in the morning.Â
