New Delhi, August 19: Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei from China and reigning champion Akane Yamaguchi from Japan both secured their spots in the second round of the Women’s Singles at the ongoing BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday. Fourth-seeded Chen made a comeback after losing the first game, defeating Hong Kong’s Lok Sin Yan Happy with scores of 18-21, 21-8, 21-11.
According to a report by Xinhua, Chen’s next match will be against Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova, who advanced by defeating UAE’s Prakriti Bharat with scores of 21-13, 20-22, 21-14. Second-seeded Yamaguchi easily overcame Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh, winning 21-12, 21-10, while her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara triumphed over Turkey’s Ozge Bayrak with a score of 2-1.
In the Men’s category, Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie defeated Germany’s Matthias Kicklitz in straight games. Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Christo Popov from France faced an upset against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, who won 21-17, 21-19.
In Women’s Doubles, top-seeded Chinese pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning took just 35 minutes to defeat Vietnam’s Pham Thi Du Li and Pham Thi Khan with scores of 21-10, 21-11. Another Chinese duo, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian, also claimed victory against Hong Kong’s Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan in straight games.
Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik secured their place in the Men’s Doubles Round of 16 by overcoming Thailand’s Pirachai Sukfun and Pakkapon Teerarataskul with scores of 15-21, 21-11, 21-18. On the first day of the tournament, defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi faced a shocking exit after losing to India’s Ayush Shetty in a thrilling three-game match that lasted 73 minutes, with scores of 21-14, 13-21, 21-19.
In the Women’s category, South Korea’s favorite An Se-young defeated Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova with scores of 21-14, 21-13. An’s biggest rival, China’s Wang Zhiyi, easily defeated America’s Zhang Beiwen in just 36 minutes with scores of 21-12, 21-13.
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