India’s badminton star continues to impress as another Indian rising star delivered one of the biggest upsets with his phenomenal victory in the Swiss Open 2026.

Kiran George defeated the former world champion Loh Kean Yew in the opening round. The victory shows how good the country’s badminton is and highlights the depth and talent on the international stage.

Recently, India’s star Lakshya Sen also grabbed the spotlight after reaching the All England Open 2026 final. 

Kiran George, who is currently ranked 42, has defeated ranked 11, Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the Round of 32. It was a close encounter that lasted 41 minutes.

George won two straight games. In Game 1, George saved two game points before edging Loh 23–21. Loh Kean Yew tried to control rallies with his pace, but George stayed composed in long exchanges.

He was in a position to win the game easily when he found himself with a lead of 201-16. But a late fightback from Loh Kean Yew narrowed the gap. Eventually, George won the 2nd set by 21-19. The victory marked one of the biggest wins of George’s career, defeating a former world champion.

Kiran George Advances to Round of 16 After Stunning First-Round Upset

With this win over Loh, Kiran George is now in the Round of 16 of the Swiss Open Badminton Championship 2026. He will now lock horns with Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan in the next round.

Jason has already knocked former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth out in the opening round. Srikanth, after winning the first game by 21-15, lost the plot and saw a 12-21 defeat in the 2nd game. As per the reports, Srikanth has to walk away/retire due to injury issues. 

So, a tough task ahead for Kiran George when he faces Jason Gunawan. However, India still has reasons to celebrate after George's thumping win in the first round. With momentum on his side and increasing self-confidence, the young shuttler could perform well in the future.

Till now, India has had mixed results at the Swiss Open overall. George's victory was the high point, but Ayush Shetty was among the other players who had to leave early. Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda were also eliminated in the first round of the women's singles competition.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi