Aichi-Nagoya, Sept. 26 -- Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women's singles event after defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching in a thrilling three-game contest at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday.

Unnati registered a 2-1 (21-14, 20-22, 21-19) victory over Wong to seal her place in the next round, where she will face Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani.

The Indian, ranked 25th in the world, started strongly and secured the opening game 21-14. However, Wong, who is ranked 38th in the world, fought back in the second game and forced a decider with a narrow 22-20 win.

The second game saw a close battle, with Unnati holding a sizeable lead at the interval. However, the change of ends shifted the momentum as W...