India’s Unnati Hooda (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Unnati Hooda began her BWF World Championships journey with a straight-game win on Tuesday, but the 18-year-old Indian shuttler’s biggest moment came when she spoke about the man who has sacrificed his own career to help shape hers — her father and coach, Upkar Hooda.Unnati defeated Myanmar’s Thet…
Ayush Shetty with fans (PTI Photo) New Delhi: The last time Ayush Shetty was up against Shi Yu Qi, he was rendered clueless. In a contest that lasted only 42 minutes at the Asia Championships in April, Shetty could only win 18 points, extending the head-to-head in favour of the Chinese to 3-0. The overwhelming…
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: World No. 4 Anders Antonsen has urged the BWF to reconsider the timing of the India Open, arguing that the tournament should be held in Delhi during a season when the capital’s air quality is more conducive to high-intensity sport.The Danish shuttler, who defeated Azerbaijan’s Dicky Dwi Pangestu…
Badminton World Championships in New Delhi (Special Arrangements) NEW DELHI: The 2026 BWF World Championships, which began on Monday, has the most representation from China (30) followed by Chinese Taipei (24), Indonesia (24), Japan (23) and India, Malaysia (20). European powerhouse Denmark have 13 members across the five draws. One can guage the popularity of…
New Delhi: Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen has questioned the decision to stage the India Open in New Delhi in February next year, saying the city’s pollution during that period can be “pretty insane” and that he was “not happy” to see the tournament return to the same time slot.Antonsen, who is competing at the BWF…
Badminton player PV Sindhu speaks during a press conference for the BWF World Championships 2026 at Indira Gandhi Arena Stadium, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo/Naveen Sharma) New Delhi: PV Sindhu occupied the fourth court in the main hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday. At the other end, she had Ayush…
Seventeen years after Hyderabad hosted the BWF World Championships, badminton’s biggest tournament is returning to India with the 2026 edition set to begin at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The return offers an opportunity to look back at the last time the world’s best shuttlers gathered in India — an edition remembered…
PV Sindhu spars with Ayush Shetty at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. (Photo: Tanuj Lakhina) New Delhi: In badminton, a point, a set, a match and, by extension, a title, can be decided not just by a drop shot, a smash or a fake at the net. External factors such as the weather, the draft…
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy NEW DELHI: For Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, injury is never a one-man problem. When his shoulder hurts, somewhere along the way, Chirag Shetty hurts too.That is the peculiar reality of a partnership that has grown far beyond the boundaries of a badminton court. The two are among India’s most successful men’s doubles…
BENGALURU: Following his impressive runner-up finish at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in April , Ayush Shetty has struggled to hit the same stride. A minor elbow injury in June did not help, and the Mangaluruborn shuttler has since suffered three first-round exits and two second-round defeats in the last three months.The road ahead is…