New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 with straight-game victories on Wednesday, while Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda suffered hard-fought defeats at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.

Ayush produced another commanding performance, dispatching Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 in just 26 minutes in the men's singles Round of 32, as per ESPN.

The Indian, who stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, made a blistering start and quickly established an 11-3 lead in the first game. Abeywickrama struggled to cope with Shetty's precise attacking strokes as the Indian wrapped up the opening game 21-8.

Shetty continued to ...