At the XX Asian Games, a high-profile women’s singles badminton showdown between Japan’s Yuka Miyazaki and India’s Pusarla Venkata Sindhu pushed past midnight, forcing athletes onto the court at 00:08 local time on September 27 at the Ichinomiya City Arena. The third-round match concluded 41 minutes later at 00:49, with Sindhu securing a 2-0 victory by set scores of 21-9 and 21-13 to advance to the quarterfinals.
A Midnight Start at Ichinomiya City Arena
Severe Court Congestion Derails the Schedule
The unusual scheduling drew sharp objections across social media and Japanese media reports, highlighting the strain of late-night competition and limited recovery windows for athletes.
The delay stemmed from severe congestion on Court 2 at the Gimnasio Municipal de Ichinomiya, where Miyazaki and Sindhu were slated as the seventeenth match of the day. Prolonged battles in earlier fixtures pushed the timeline far past the official tournament schedule, which had originally projected competition to run from 09:30 to 20:30 on September 26.
Empty Stands and Relentless Physical Hurdles
Organizers did not shift the high-stakes pairing to an alternate available court, leaving the match to unfold in an arena that reports described as practically empty save for a handful of spectators.
For Miyazaki, the scheduling quirk created a demanding physical hurdle. The 20-year-old Japanese player, ranked seventh in the world, had earlier defeated Mongolia’s Saranga Herlenbatar 2-0 (21-5, 21-5) on September 26 before enduring the prolonged wait for her evening assignment.
Tournament Run Ends as Rivals Advance
The midnight finish brought a sudden end to Miyazaki’s tournament run in the individual category.
Sindhu, the 2019 world champion and 2016 Rio Olympic silver medalist, advanced directly to the individual quarterfinals scheduled for later on September 27.
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