Thailand Open 2026: Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Srikanth advance to round of 16; Ayush knocked out

India experienced a mixed outing at the Thailand Open 2026 on Wednesday (May 13), as PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth secured comfortable victories to move into the round of 16, while Ayush Shetty suffered an early exit in Bangkok. The former world No. 1, Srikanth, delivered a dominant performance against Singapore’s eighth seed Loh Kean Yew, winning 21-14, 21-15 in 30 minutes. Recreating their 2021 World Championships final clash, the Indian shuttler controlled the rallies from the very beginning and gave Loh little opportunity to settle into the contest.

Currently ranked world No. 29, Srikanth maintained his intensity throughout the match and easily dealt with a brief fightback from the Singaporean in the second game. The 2013 Thailand Open winner will next take on Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang in the second round.

World No. 11 Lakshya extended his head-to-head record to 6-0 against Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh with a 21-16, 21-17 victory in 43 minutes.

Meanwhile, PV Sindhu also advanced with ease after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong 21-9, 21-12 in a 33-minute encounter. The sixth seed dominated with aggressive attacking play and remained in command throughout the match to set up a round of 16 match with Denmark’s Amalie Schulz.

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The two-time Olympic medallist is aiming to capture her first BWF World Tour title since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024.

India had another positive result through Devika Sihag, who claimed her first-ever Super 500-level victory. The 21-year-old overcame Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira 21-19, 13-21, 21-15 in a thrilling contest that lasted one hour and 11 minutes.

Ayush Shetty, however, failed to progress despite putting up a hard fought challenge against Japan’s sixth seed Kodai Naraoka. The Badminton Asia Championships silver medallist dropped the opening game 13-21 before fighting back to take the second 21-17. Naraoka, though, dominated the decider to complete a 21-13, 17-21, 21-4 win in 59 minutes.

Tharun Mannepalli’s campaign also ended in the opening round after a straight-game loss to Japan’s Koki Watanabe, who won 21-12, 21-16.

Teenagers Unnati Hooda and Anmol Kharb showed promising signs despite defeats against higher-ranked rivals.

Unnati took the opening game against Thailand’s fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, but the local favourite recovered strongly to register an 11-21, 21-17, 21-16 victory.

Anmol came close to stunning reigning champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Chen Yu Fei. The 19-year-old surged to an 11-2 lead in the deciding game before the experienced Chinese shuttler staged a comeback to win 19-21, 21-13, 21-18.