World Champs Live: Lakshya, Treesa-Gopichand aim to extend India's dominant run

Live blogBWF World Championships Live: Welcome to the second day of the Badminton World Championships. After a tremendous opening day in the tournament, India will look to have another strong outing in the competition today.Badminton World Championships Live. (Courtesy: PTI)Hello and welcome to India Today's coverage of the BWF World Championships being hosted in New Delhi. India have several athletes playing in the championships today. Stay tuned as we bring you the live updates from the court today. India at BWF World Championships: Schedule and Results Rohan Kapoor/Ruthiva Gadde lost 22-20, 19-21, 17-21 to Jonathan Lai/Crystal Lai Unnati Hooda won 22-20, 21-16 against Thet Thuzar Asith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh lost 21-16, 29-30, 22-24 to Emre Sonmez/Yasemen Bektas Kavipirya Selvam/Simran Singhi play Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand play Lauren Lam/Allison Lee Lakshya Sen plays Collins Filimon ...Read MoreAug 18, 2026 16:56 ISTWhen are India's matches today?We are very very close to India's matches. Once the current matches finish on Court 1 and Court 2, India will be in action. I give it half an hour more, at max. Aug 18, 2026 16:53 ISTBWF World Championships Live: When will Satwik and Chirag play?India's best men's double pairing Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are playing in this year's Badminton World Championships. In fact, if Satwik can manage his shoulder injury, the duo have a good chance to win a medal this year. Sat-Chi have not played yet because they have been given bye in the first round. They will be in action on August 19, which is tomorrow. Aug 18, 2026 16:48 ISTUnnati Hood'as key to successThe 18-year-old from Rohtak is not overawed by the occasion and said Ayush Shetty's upset win over world No.1 Shi Yu Qi on Monday will act as motivation for Indian shuttlers, including her. "Very special moment (first World Championships). I just want to focus on my game tomorrow. Like, I just want to give my all, 100 per cent and be there and just enjoy because it's going to be a good match. "He (Shetty) is my good friend and he played really well yesterday. And definitely he won against the seeded number one here. So it really gives everyone confidence that just remember who you are and just give it all. On the court, there is one versus one and anybody can lose and anyone can win. So just believe in yourself," Unnati said. The youngster feels being patient is key to success in the conditions here. "I think being really patient is important. That's the one thing I'll just keep in mind. Even I did it today also, in the last half of the court set and it really helped me. So keeping my nerves in control. "Sometimes in drift conditions it's difficult, but I feel like it's not that much difficult to judge if it's going out or in," she said. Aug 18, 2026 16:48 ISTUnnati Hooda is the only Indian to have won a match todayIndian youngster Unnati Hooda has had a rapid rise in the badminton world. She looked a little flustered today, but was able to win her first game in her debut World Championships campaign. UNNATI HOODA'S SPEAKS AFTER HER FIRST WIN Rising Indian badminton star Unnati Hooda credited her rapid ascent in the sport to her father and mentor, Upkar Hooda, who sacrificed his career to train her full-time and is now guiding her from the coach's corner at her debut BWF World Championships. Upkar, a former university-level player, quit his government college job to to travel with his daughter for tournaments, even as she has sifted her base to Chhotu Ram Stadium Badminton Academy in Rohtak to polish her skills under coach Parvesh Kumar. However, till date her father remains her biggest inspiration. "I'm not forced (into badminton). Of course, definitely there is a massive contribution of my family and my dad. He quit his job as well. So I cannot say in words how much he has contributed to me, but yeah, I am really thankful that I have a great family who support me a lot," Unnati told PTI after her first round win over Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20 21-16. She will next face 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada. "And I would like to thank Reliance Foundation also, who has been a great help since my journey from the past three years." Asked who was sitting in the dug out with her in Tuesday's match, she replied: "No, that was my father. Right now, I train with him, my father." Aug 18, 2026 16:41 ISTWhen is Lakshya Sen playing today?India's best men's singles player, Lakshya Sen, will be in action around 6 pm. India have two more representations before that.Aug 18, 2026 16:37 ISTThomas Cup winner's tournament ends prematurely5th seed Cristo Popov was knocked out of the BWF World Championships in his very first game. He played his singles match in the afternoon, only a day after playing doubles with his brother Toma Popov. Toma and Cristo were knocked out in doubles as well. Akshay Ramesh listens to Cristo speak after his tournament ended prematurely: Aug 18, 2026 16:21 ISTIndia's results so far: Badminton LiveIndia's luck did not go their favour like it did the day before. The mixed doubles pairing of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthivka Gadde won their first game but lost the next two. Asith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh lost in the most heartbreaking manner. After winning the first game comfortably, they were stretched to the limit, where they lost 29-30 in the second game, and then eventually losing 22-24 in the decider. The only win for India today has come from Unnati Hooda, who huffed and puffed a little but beat Thet Thuzar in straight games. INDIA'S RESULTS ON AUGUST 18 Rohan Kapoor/Ruthiva Gadde lost 22-20, 19-21, 17-21 to Jonathan Lai/Crystal Lai Unnati Hooda won 22-20, 21-16 against Thet Thuzar Asith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh lost 21-16, 29-30, 22-24 to Emre Sonmez/Yasemen Bektas Aug 18, 2026 16:13 ISTIndia's Schedule in BWF World Championships todayThree matches have already happened, and we are going to play three more matches today. Here's India's schedule in the second half of the day. Kavipirya Selvam/Simran Singhi play Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva in women's doubles Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand play Lauren Lam/Allison Lee in women's doubles Lakshya Sen plays Collins Filimon in men's singles Aug 18, 2026 16:11 ISTBadminton World Championship: Live UpdatesIndia won some sensational matches yesterday. Ayush Shetty beat World No.1 and defending world champion Shi Yu Qi in a riveting three-game battle. PV Sindhu also started her campaign in a strong manner, winning in straight games against Sophia Nobel. India are playing six matches in total on August 18, the second day of the competition. Aug 18, 2026 16:08 ISTBWF World Championship Live: Hello and welcomeHello and welcome to the live coverage of the BWF World Championships. It is the second day of the competition in New Delhi. India were sensational on Day 1 of the competition, winning all their games and would hope to put together a couple of strong wins today as well. Matches started at 9 am in the morning, where India played three games already. Stick around as I wrap those matches and prepare you for what is to come today.