Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were unable to overcome higher‑ranked Chinese opponents, while only the doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured a win for India, leaving the team trailing 1‑3 and consigning them to the bronze‑medal match.
India entered the tournament as the 2023 Asian Games silver medallists, having been beaten by China in the final in Hangzhou, and the latest result underscores the continuing dominance of the Chinese side in men’s badminton.
In a separate highlight, weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu broke a 12‑year medal drought for India in the sport, lifting a total of 198 kg (88 kg snatch, 111 kg clean‑and‑jerk) to claim silver in the women’s 49 kg category – the nation’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari’s silver in 1998.
Soft‑tennis made history for India as Jay Meena captured the country’s inaugural medal in the discipline, earning bronze after a hard‑fought 2‑4 defeat to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the men’s singles semifinals in Nagoya.
The mixed fortunes across badminton, weightlifting and soft tennis reflect both the challenges and emerging strengths of Indian sport at the Games, with the bronze in badminton adding to a modest overall haul while Chanu’s silver and Meena’s breakthrough signal progress in other arenas.