Ayush Shetty faces Kodai Naraoka in French Open last 16

Ayush Shetty will face Kodai Naraoka in the French Open 2026 round of 16 on Thursday, with neither player holding an advantage in their head-to-head record. The match is scheduled for Court 2 at the Arena Grand in Paris and is due to begin at 3:30pm IST.

Shetty reached this stage by beating fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth in three games. Japan’s Naraoka advanced without playing his first-round match after Lakshya Sen withdrew, giving the two players different routes into their meeting in Paris.

Shetty fights back to advance

Shetty lost the opening game against Srikanth 19-21 but recovered to take the next two 21-16, 21-12. That result secured his place in the last 16 and set up another meeting with Naraoka, against whom he has won twice and lost twice.

Naraoka’s passage to the round of 16 came through a walkover rather than an opening-round result on court. Sen pulled out of their scheduled first-round match.

Their most recent meeting was in the round of 32 at this year’s Thailand Open. Naraoka won that match 21-13, 17-21, 21-4, taking the deciding game after Shetty had drawn level. Thursday’s contest sees them meet with the overall record tied at two wins apiece.

Match time and live coverage

The French Open match is listed for a 3:30pm IST start on Thursday. It will take place on Court 2 at the Arena Grand in Paris, where the local start time is noon.

The round-of-16 encounter will be streamed on the BWF TV YouTube channel.

What is at stake

Shetty enters after a three-game comeback against Srikanth, while Naraoka’s first-round opponent withdrew before they could play. Their last meeting went Naraoka’s way, but neither player leads the head-to-head series going into Thursday’s match.