Media365
India’s campaign at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships came to an end with a 0-3 defeat against Japan’s second-string team in the quarterfinals at Qingdao, China.
India, who secured bronze in 2023, faced early setbacks as they trailed 0-1 after losing the mixed doubles match.
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World number 37 pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto showed fighting spirit before losing 13-21, 21-17, 13-21 to Japan’s world number 12 duo Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
India faced additional challenges with PV Sindhu’s absence due to a hamstring injury, particularly against world number 8 Tomoka Miyazaki, who rose to prominence after winning the 2022 World Junior Championships.
Malvika Bansod, ranked 31st, stepped in for Sindhu and despite a strong effort in the second game, lost 12-21, 19-21 to Miyazaki, putting India behind 0-2.
HS Prannoy, despite his determined performance, couldn’t save India as he lost to world number 16 Kenta Nishimoto 21-14, 15-21, 21-12 in a match lasting 1 hour and 17 minutes.
The defeat was particularly disappointing for India as Japan competed without several of their top players.
Japan, who won the inaugural edition in 2017 and finished runners-up in 2019, continued their strong showing in the tournament.
In the women’s singles match, Miyazaki displayed precision and skill, taking an early 11-3 lead against Malvika.
Despite Malvika’s effective net play, Miyazaki’s cross-court drops and winners maintained control of the game.
Malvika reduced the deficit to 12-19, but two errors cost her the first game.
The second game saw better competition with Malvika leading 5-3 and maintaining a narrow 11-10 advantage at the interval.
Malvika’s sharp play restricted Miyazaki’s signature drops, helping her reach 17-15.
However, Miyazaki recovered to take the lead at 18-17 and eventually won the game, extending Japan’s advantage to 2-0.
In the men’s singles, Nishimoto took an early 7-4 lead against Prannoy with precise angled returns.
Prannoy managed to level the score at 8-8, but errors gave Nishimoto a lead at the break.
Despite reducing the gap to 12-13, Prannoy couldn’t maintain momentum as Nishimoto won the first game.
The second game was closely contested with both players tied at 6-6.
Prannoy’s aggressive play and cross-court smashes helped him stay competitive, leading to a warning from the umpire about his celebrations.
The Indian player showed resilience, winning crucial points to claim the second game.
The deciding game saw Nishimoto dominate with a 6-0 start.
A controversial line call at 2-8 frustrated Prannoy as Nishimoto extended his lead to 11-3 at the interval.
Despite Prannoy’s comeback attempt to reach 12-15, unforced errors proved costly.
Nishimoto secured the match and Japan’s victory after Prannoy’s final shot went wide.
