Indian badminton player Ashmita Chaliha continued her impressive return from injury by advancing to the quarter-finals of the Macau Open 2026 on Thursday, extending a consistent run of performances since her comeback earlier this year.
The world No. 63 secured her place in the last eight of the BWF Super 300 tournament after defeating USA's Ishika Jaiswal, ranked 65th in the world, in straight games. Ashmita overcame a strong challenge in the opening game before sealing a 22-20, 21-15 victory in just 32 minutes.
The quarter-final appearance marks Ashmita’s third consecutive last-eight finish since returning to competition in May after a three-month injury layoff. The 26-year-old had also reached the quarter-finals of the China Masters and Malaysia Masters but was unable to progress beyond that stage in either tournament. She will now look to break that barrier and secure a place in the semi-finals in Macau.
India also received good news from the women’s singles draw as eighth-seeded Anmol Kharb advanced to the quarter-finals. Her pre-quarterfinal match ended prematurely after Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei retired from the contest. At the time of retirement, Anmol was leading 12-4 in the opening game and appeared firmly in control of the match.
However, the day brought disappointment for several Indian players. Fifth seed Isharani Baruah exited the tournament after suffering a narrow 21-19, 23-21 defeat against South Korea’s Park Ga-eun in the round of 16. Ranked No. 37 in the world, Isharani was the highest-ranked Indian player in the women’s singles draw this year.
In the men’s singles competition, Tharun Mannepalli’s campaign ended following a 24-22, 21-15 loss to China’s Dong Tian Yao in the pre-quarterfinals. Rounak Chouhan, who had progressed from the qualification rounds to the main draw, also bowed out after losing 21-13, 21-17 to China’s Hu Zhe'an.
India’s challenges continued in the women’s singles section, where Rakshitha Ramraj and seventh seed Shriyanshi Valishetty were eliminated in the round of 16 by South Korean opponents Kim Min Sun and Kim Min-ji respectively.
The country's doubles campaign also came to an end after mixed doubles pair Ishaan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra suffered a hard-fought defeat against China’s sixth-seeded combination of Huang Ke-Xin and Hong Yi Li. The Indian pair lost 16-21, 22-20, 21-19 in a closely contested match.
With Ashmita Chaliha and Anmol Kharb progressing to the quarter-finals, India’s hopes in the Macau Open 2026 now rest on the two women’s singles players as they aim to make deeper runs in the tournament.
