HS Prannoy fought valiantly, but India succumbed to a 0-3 defeat against a second-string Japan in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, ending their campaign on a disappointing note here on Friday. India, the 2023 bronze medalists in Dubai, struggled to find their rhythm, and trailed 0-1 after going down in the mixed doubles. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, ranked 37th in the world, showed resilience before going down 13-21, 21-17, 13-21 to world number 12 Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
With PV Sindhu sidelined due to a hamstring injury, India faced an uphill task against Tomoka Miyazaki, who has quickly risen to world number 8 following her triumph at the 2022 World Junior Championships.
World number 31 Malvika Bansod, stepping in for Sindhu, put up a brave fight, especially in the second game, but struggled to match the control and consistency of her younger opponent and lost 12-21, 19-21, leaving India 0-2 behind.
It all came down to Prannoy to keep India alive, but despite a determined effort, the 32-year-old, returning after a long break and struggling with early-season form, couldn’t sustain the pressure against world number 16 Kenta Nishimoto.
The Japanese star sealed the rubber with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-12 victory in 1 hour and 17 minutes.
India will be disappointed with the loss, especially as Japan did not field their full-strength team, with several top players absent.
Japan were the inaugural edition champions in 2017 and were runners-up in 2019.
Miyazaki vs Malvika
Miyazaki, leading the new-look Japanese team, was sharp and precise, quickly surging to an 11-3 lead after Malvika hit long.
Despite some good net play from the left-handed Indian, Miyazaki’s cross-court drops and winners kept Malvika on the back foot.
Malvika narrowed the gap to 12-19, capitalising on unforced errors from Miyazaki.
However, two mistakes from the Indian allowed the Japanese to take the first game.
The second game was more competitive as Malvika took a 5-3 lead, engaging in tight rallies.
She managed a slim 11-10 advantage after Miyazaki went long.
Malvika stayed sharp, not allowing her opponent to play her usual drops freely, moving to 17-15.
But Miyazaki fought back, taking the lead at 18-17 after Malvika went wide.
Miyazaki earned two game points, and despite Malvika saving one, a miscue handed the game to the Japanese, leaving India 0-2 down in the tie.
Prannoy vs Nishimoto ================ In the men’s singles, Prannoy fell behind 4-7 as Nishimoto dominated with angled returns.
The Indian clawed back to 8-8 after Nishimoto made a few errors, but two unforced mistakes gave the Japanese a three-point cushion at the break.
Prannoy kept up the pressure, reducing the gap to 12-13 with a couple of jump smashes.
However, there was little net play, and Nishimoto surged ahead 17-12, winning four straight points.
Prannoy handed Nishimoto six game points with a net error, and another mistake sealed the first game for Japan.
The second game was intense, with Prannoy and Nishimoto tied at 6-6.
Two powerful cross-court smashes from Prannoy leveled the score at 7-7, followed by a huge roar and a fist pump.
However, a subsequent smash led to a warning from the umpire, asking Prannoy not to celebrate in such a manner.
Prannoy moved to 10-9 after a brilliant net block, and took a one-point lead into the break.
A cross-court return left Prannoy flat on the floor, and Nishimoto moved to 14-12.
However, the Indian erased the deficit to lead 16-15 after winning a lengthy rally.
He then earned five game points after Nishimoto sent a shot wide, converting the first to roar back into the contest.
In the decider, Nishimoto controlled the pace to take a 6-0 early lead.
At 2-8, a shot was called out by the umpire, much to Prannoy’s frustration as the Japanese grabbed a huge 11-3 lead at the interval.
The Indian fought back, drawing out errors from Nishimoto to move to 12-15 but unforced errors crept up again as a cross court forehand went to net and another net error followed.
Soon he found himself facing an eight-point deficit.
Nishimoto sealed the match after Prannoy went wide again, securing the victory for Japan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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