India Crashes Out of Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships After QF Loss to Japan
Last edition’s bronze medalists, India, have bowed out of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Japan in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Qingdao (China): Last edition’s bronze medalists, India, have bowed out of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Japan in the quarterfinals on Friday.
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The up-and-coming mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, along with women’s singles player Malvika Bansod, gave their best efforts against much higher-ranked opponents, but were unable to prevent India’s loss to the formidable Japanese team—winners of the championship in 2017—at the last-eight stage.
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Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto’s Tough Loss
In the opening match of the tie, Dhruv and Tanisha faced the World No. 12 combination of Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito. The Indian pair mounted a spirited fightback in the second game, forcing a decider, but the experienced Japanese duo eventually prevailed after 61 minutes with a 21-13, 17-21, 21-13 scoreline.
Malvika Bansod Falls to Tomoka Miyazaki
Next, Malvika had the difficult task of facing World No. 8 Tomoka Miyazaki. Despite giving it her all, Malvika could not overcome the Japanese star and lost 21-12, 21-19, extending India’s deficit in the tie.
H.S. Prannoy Fights Hard but Falls Short
India then relied on Asian Games bronze medalist H.S. Prannoy to keep their hopes alive. The 32-year-old fought back from a game down to take the match to a decider against Kenta Nishimoto.
However, Nishimoto started strong in the third game, racing to a 0-6 lead. Prannoy fought valiantly after changing ends at 3-11, but it was too late to recover as he lost 14-21, 21-15, 12-21 in an hour and 17 minutes.
India’s Journey in the Tournament
India’s journey to the knockout stage included a dominant 5-0 victory over Macau in the opening Group D match and a hard-fought 2-3 loss to South Korea.
Japan will next play the winner of the tie between China and Hong Kong for a spot in the final.
India’s campaign in the last edition of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship ended in the semifinals with a 2-3 loss to China, earning the country its first-ever medal—bronze—from the prestigious continental tournament.
Result:
India lost to Japan 0-3
- Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto lost to Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito 13-21, 21-17, 13-21
- Malvika Bansod lost to Tomoka Miyazaki 12-21, 19-21
- H.S. Prannoy lost to Kenta Nishimoto 14-21, 21-15, 12-21
