China Exposes India's Tournament Fitness as Men's Team Settles for Bronze at Asian Games

India's men's badminton team signed off with a hard-fought bronze medal at the Asian Games after losing 3-1 to top title contenders China in the semifinals. The defeat laid bare a persistent vulnerability in maintaining fitness levels deep into a multi-day draw. Coming off a brilliant quarterfinal win over Japan less than 24 hours earlier, the Indian squad struggled with the short turnaround and back-to-back knockout demands. In the opening singles match, Lakshya Sen fell 21-16, 21-18 to World No. 6 Shi Yuqi. Although Sen defended well and worked the angles, he lacked the fuel tank to push a decider against Yuqi's imperious net play and heavy attacks. The lone Indian point came from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who secured a smooth 21-11, 22-20 victory over newly crowned world champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang through sharp front-court control and body smashes. Ayush Shetty then took on Li Shifeng in the second singles rubber. Shifeng tested Ayush with high lifts and clears, leaving the young Indian stranded at the baseline with tired arms. Ayush imploded slightly to lose 21-19, 21-13, appearing flat after his exertions against Japan. In the second doubles rubber, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun showed early promise against He Ji Ting and Liu Yi before dropping energy in the third set, ultimately losing 17-21, 21-17, 21-9. Doubles coach Tan Kim Her noted that Hari's energy dropped in the third set and cited service and receive errors as factors in the loss, while emphasizing that Sen's match against Shi Yuqi was crucial. Across the knockouts, none of the five singles players fielded by India across men's and women's events won a match, leaving coaches with serious concerns about singles depth and tournament stamina heading forward.