Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan assured India of a badminton medal
Krishna Nagar advanced to the men's singles SH6 quarterfinals
Nitesh Kumar, Pramod Bhagat and other Indian shuttlers recorded wins
India are assured of a badminton medal at the Asian Para Games 2026 after Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan stormed into the women's doubles SL3-SU5 semifinals with a straight-games victory over China's Yuemei Liu and Tongtong Li on Saturday.
The Indian duo won 21-10, 21-17 to register their second consecutive victory in Group A and secure a place in the last four with one match remaining. With both losing semifinalists guaranteed bronze medals, their qualification has confirmed a podium finish for India.
The achievement marks India's second successive medal in the event. Joshi and Thulasimathi had claimed silver at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and will now aim to improve on that result in Aichi-Nagoya.
The pair began their campaign with a win over Indonesia's Rahayu Warining and Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh on Friday. They will face China's Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in their final group match on Monday.
The SL3-SU5 doubles category combines standing players with lower- or upper-limb impairments.
Asian Para Games 2026: Other Indian Para-Badminton Results
India also recorded several victories in the singles competitions, with Tokyo Paralympics champion Krishna Nagar among those securing progression.
Nagar defeated Indonesia's Subhan 21-13, 21-15 in men's singles SH6 to register his second successive group-stage win and book a quarterfinal spot. He has one group match left to play. SH6 is the category for players with short stature.
In men's singles SL3, Paris Paralympics champion Nitesh Kumar defeated Thailand's Natthapol Chamnanwet 21-6, 21-7, while Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat beat China's Xiong Lichuan 21-17, 21-16.
Umesh Vikram Kumar also registered a victory, defeating the Philippines' Khian Kyle Urbano 21-10, 21-12.
India had further success in men's singles SL4. Naveen Sivakumar overcame Indonesia's Hikmat Ramdani 21-12, 21-10, while Surya Kant Yadav defeated Japan's Koki Ogawa 21-6, 21-19.
Sukant Kadam recovered after dropping the second game to beat South Korea's Shin Kyung Hwan 21-17, 18-21, 21-9. Abhijeet Sakhuja also fought back after losing the opening game, defeating Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom 19-21, 21-16, 21-10.
In men's singles SU5, Ruthick Ragupathi beat Japan's Wataru Kanai 21-12, 21-13. Hardik Makkar needed three games to get past Malaysia's Amyrul Yazid bin Ahmad Sibi, winning 21-16, 16-21, 21-18.
India also picked up wins in the wheelchair singles events. Prem Kumar Ale recovered from losing the opening game to defeat the UAE's Omair Younas 20-22, 21-9, 21-10 in WH1. Haris Mythili beat Indonesia's Wiwin Andri 21-13, 21-17 in WH2, although Abu Hubaida lost 13-21, 11-21 to Japan's Reo Oyama.
In men's singles SH6, Sivarajan Solaimalai defeated Hong Kong's Wong Chun Yim 21-13, 21-14. Sudarsan Muthusamy, however, went down 8-21, 6-21 to Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai.
Thulasimathi also registered a commanding victory in women's singles SU5, defeating Brunei's Zainab Mohamed 21-2, 21-2. Manisha Ramadass beat compatriot Shanthiya Vishwanathan 21-8, 21-15 in the same category, while Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan defeated China's Lin Shuangbao 21-18, 21-13 in SH6.
India faced a tougher day in women's singles SL3. Joshi lost 3-21, 3-21 to Japan's Shino Kawai, Sanjana Kumari went down 13-21, 6-21 to Indonesia's Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh, and Neeraj was beaten 5-21, 10-21 by China's Xiao Zuxian. Mandeep Kaur also lost to Malaysia's Siti Maisarah B. Mat Lawani 5-21, 13-21.
In women's singles SL4, Kanak Singh Jadaun suffered a 4-21, 3-21 defeat against China's Huang Zixuan. Pallavi Kaluvehalli lost 13-21, 14-21 to China's Yang Fan in wheelchair singles WH1.
India's men's doubles SL3-SU5 campaign produced a win for Surya Kant and Naveen Sivakumar, who beat China's Mingpan Li and Lichuan Xiong 21-7, 21-19.
Sukant Kadam and Bhagat lost 21-18, 19-21, 11-21 to South Korea's Shin Kyung Hwan and Cho Nadan, while Umesh Vikram Kumar and Rakesh Pandey were defeated 14-21, 10-21 by Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan and Hikmat Ramdani.
In women's doubles SL3-SU5, Mandeep Kaur and Shanthiya Vishwanathan lost 11-21, 12-21 to China's Hefang Cheng and Zixuan Huang.
Alphia James and Prem Kumar Ale secured a mixed doubles WH1-WH2 victory, defeating Chinese Taipei's I-Chen Yang and Yu-Yu Ong 21-9, 21-17.
The mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event brought defeats for two Indian pairs. Manisha Ramadass and Pramod Bhagat lost 19-21, 16-21 to Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani, while Ruthick Ragupathi and Joshi were beaten 10-21, 17-21 by China's Mingpan Li and Zuxian Xiao.
Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan also lost their mixed doubles SH6 match, going down 6-21, 10-21 to China's Naili Lin and Fengmei Li.
Despite the mixed results across the doubles events, Joshi and Thulasimathi's semifinal qualification ensured India would leave the women's doubles SL3-SU5 competition with a medal.
With PTI Inputs
