World Juniors: Crafty Khangurra, Tenacious Ip into Semis

More than the archetypal badminton player, Jagsher Singh Khangurra has the bearing of a mild-mannered chess talent: studious, understated. In the men’s singles quarterfinals of the VICTOR BWF World Junior Championships 2026 on Thursday, facing an explosive opponent in Jhuang Yuan-Syue, Khangurra produced a performance as finely crafted and cerebral as befits an accomplished chess player. In 48 minutes he had secured a medal, beating Jhuang 6-15 17-15 15-12.

He had to win it the hard way. Having struggled in the opening game, Khangurra found his rhythm, correctly anticipating his opponent’s explosive smashes and showing great finesse at the net. The sense of calm control even while under attack prevailed, and once he had edged through the second game, he coasted in the third.

“The feeling (of winning a medal) can’t be expressed in words – it’s really awesome,” said Khangurra. “Getting a medal for India is something I can’t express.

“I’ve been dreaming of playing the World Junior Championships for five to six years. I’ve been dreaming of playing the World Juniors for five-years. Now I’ve secured a medal – but I’m hoping for a gold.

“My opponent was really good, his smashes were good, he outplayed me in the first. I wasn’t able to control the shuttle. But in the second I talked to myself, that I have to play for India, for my parents, so it gave me a boost, and I thought I have to take all the shuttles, I won’t leave any shuttle.”

Up next will be Indonesia’s Radithya Bayu Wardhana, who beat Malaysia’s Lim Boom Le 15-8 15-11, while the top half will see No.1 seed Mady Sow (France) against 18th seed Fardhan Rainanda Joe of Indonesia.

Sow overcame a mid-match slump against Park Jung Bin, storming back to rout the Korean in the third: 15-12 13-15 15-2.

“The medal means a lot for me; very happy for me, my coach, my family and for the French team,” said Sow.

“It was good for me to keep the speed after losing concentration in the second game. I was very happy with the last game, I was really focussed and looking for the semifinal.”

If Kangurra’s performance was all craft, the tenacious side of badminton was showcased in the women’s singles match between Hong Kong China’s Ip Sum Yau and Chinese Taipei’s Su Xiao-Ting (Chinese Taipei).

Ip found herself 3-8 down in the third game against Su, but showed the stomach for a fight, staying tough in the rallies and coming away victorious: 8-15 15-6 15-11. Ip faces China’s Zhang Yi Xin, while the top half will feature Yin Yi Qing (China) against top seed Saki Matsumoto (Japan)

“It’s really a special moment for me because I know that Hong Kong China’s women’s singles haven’t had a medal for many years. So to help them get a medal is really special,” said Ip.

“My opponent played well, she was leading in the third game, so to be able to come back from 3-8 down was tough for me, but I’m happy I managed to stay determined. At that point I was telling myself to keep believing, to believe that I could win this match, and to just get every point, so if the shuttle’s not on the floor, the point’s not over yet.”

“I just want to be able to make my country proud of me, and also because there have been a lot of people supporting me, like my parents, my coaches, so to get this result and show them how much they’ve helped me, it means a lot.” – Women’s singles semifinalist Ip Sum Yau (Hong Kong China)

“Riding on the wave is easy, but thinking on your own during adversity and quickly forming new strategies to catch up during a game — that’s high value in athletes, and she has that in her. She never got shaken despite challenges.” – Hong Kong China coach Wong Choon Hann, on Ip Sum Yau

“It took a while to adjust our emotions after losing that match. But I gave it a bit of time to process and just moved forward to the women’s doubles. When we were leading (in mixed doubles) our feelings changed, our hand feeling changed, and then we suddenly couldn’t get the rhythm.” – Malaysia’s Genevie Lim, on making the women’s doubles semifinals after losing her mixed doubles match

» China’s challenge in men’s singles ended in the Round of 16, with Han Tian Yue’s loss to Mady Sow in the morning session. However, China still have a shot at four titles.

» Two Indonesian pairs made the semifinals in mixed doubles. Reihan Promono/Atresia Candani take on Feng Yi Lang/Li Meng Han (China); the other semifinal features Muhammad Luthfi Habibi/Dian Ramadhani Mukti versus Chinese Taipei’s Lee Wei Ting/Chen Yu-Hsi.

» Women’s doubles will see Malaysia’s Genevie Lim/Low Zi Yu against China’s Shi Si Chen/Xiang Yu Jin, and Japan’s Nijika Kamata/Shizuku Kashio against Korea’s Choi Ye Da/Kim Min Chae.

» In men’s doubles, China’s third seeds Feng Yi Lang/Wei Jian Zhen face Japan’s Oku Mahiro/Masato Yamashiro; top seeds Chen Ping Hsuan/Lee Wei Ting take on Hong Kong China’s Njoto Michaelangelo/Yu Zhirui Jerry.