Devika Sihag, an unseeded Indian shuttler, capped off a remarkable run at the Thailand Masters 2026 by clinching her first BWF World Tour Super 300 title. The 20-year-old’s victory came after her opponent, Malaysia's Goh Jin Wei, was forced to retire due to injury during the final match in Patumwan on Sunday. At the time of retirement, Sihag was leading 21-8, 6-3.

Sihag's path to the title was paved with upsets against higher-ranked opponents. In the opening round, she defeated fellow Indian player Ashmita Chaliha, followed by a victory over world No. 42 Tung Ciou-Tong of Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals. Her biggest win came in the quarter-finals where she stunned world No. 16 and top seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand. She continued her dominant performance in the semi-finals, defeating world No. 35 Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei in straight games. In the semi-final match against Huang Yu-Hsun, Sihag displayed resilience, saving five game points in the first game to win 22-20, before securing the second game 21-13.

The final against Goh Jin Wei, ranked No. 68 in the world, saw Sihag maintain her momentum. She dominated the first game, winning 21-8. Unfortunately, Goh, a two-time junior world champion, had to retire due to an injury in the second game while trailing 6-3.

This victory marks a significant milestone in Devika Sihag's career, being her first BWF World Tour title and the first for an Indian player in 2026. Sihag, currently ranked 63rd in women's singles, has previously won three titles on the BWF International circuit. She was also a runner-up at the second Indonesia Masters last year, a BWF Super 100 tournament.

Devika has been training under coach Umendra Rana at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence (PDCSE) in Bangalore since she was 12 years old. Former India coach Vimal Kumar, Director and Chief Coach of badminton operations at PDCSE, noted her talent and hard work in building her leg strength, while overcoming knee issues. She has also been training alongside P.V. Sindhu under an Indonesian coach for the past four months.

Looking ahead, Indian badminton players are scheduled to participate in the German Open 2026, commencing on Tuesday.