India’s mixed doubles campaign at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 remains alive after Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila progressed to the pre-quarterfinals in Ningbo, China, on Tuesday.
Ranked 20th in the world, the Indian duo defeated Thailand’s Phuwana Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard 21-14, 11-21, 21-15 in a match that lasted 51 minutes. It was their first meeting against the Thai pair.
Crasto and Kapila started strongly, taking the opening game comfortably before losing momentum in the second. However, they regained control in the deciding game, edging a closely fought contest after holding a narrow lead at the mid-game interval and pulling away in the latter stages.
Other Indian pairs exit in opening round
The duo were the only Indian mixed doubles pair to advance past the first round. Earlier, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh went down 21-16, 21-15 to Malaysia’s Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien. After a competitive start, the Malaysian pair took control in both games with timely scoring runs.
In another match, India’s Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde were defeated by Malaysia’s eighth-seeded pair Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie 21-13, 21-19. The Indians showed resilience in the second game, recovering from a large deficit to push their opponents, but could not complete the comeback.
Crasto and Kapila, who reached the quarterfinals in the previous edition, will look to go further this time as India’s sole representatives in the mixed doubles draw.
Meanwhile, India’s singles campaign is set to begin on Wednesday, with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen among the key players scheduled to take the court.
