India’s impressive run in badminton at the Asian Games suffered a double setback on Sunday as Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto bowed out in the quarterfinals after spirited fights against higher-ranked opponents.Treesa and Gayatri, who arrived at the Games on the back of a historic bronze medal at the World Championships in New Delhi last month, went down 18-21, 9-21 to Malaysian world No. 5 pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.The Indians were competitive in the opening game and matched their Malaysian opponents for long periods, but a series of errors in the second game allowed the world No. 5 pair to take control and seal a straight-game victory.
Treesa-Gayatri fight hard before Malaysian pair pulls away
The Indians had entered the tournament in impressive form, having already registered two wins over the world No. 3 Japanese combination of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. However, they faced a difficult challenge against Pearly and Thinaah, having lost six of their previous eight meetings against the Malaysian duo.The Malaysians made the early running, opening up an 8-3 lead, but Treesa and Gayatri responded strongly to level the score at 10-10. The contest then turned into an intense attacking battle, with both pairs trading points and remaining locked at 14-14.Pearly and Thinaah subsequently capitalised on errors from the Indians to move 17-14 ahead. Gayatri produced a clever deception at the net and the Malaysians sent a shot wide, giving the Indians hope of another comeback.But Pearly and Thinaah maintained their composure to move to 19-16 before Treesa found the net, handing them four game points. The Indians saved two, but a powerful smash from the Malaysian pair ended the opening game 21-18. Treesa and Gayatri started the second game brightly, moving 3-0 ahead after the change of ends. The Malaysians, however, quickly turned the momentum around by forcing errors from the Indian pair and surged to a 7-3 lead.The gap widened further as the Indians struggled to find their rhythm, with Pearly and Thinaah racing to an 11-4 advantage. The Malaysian pair continued to pile on the pressure and moved 13-6 ahead. With Treesa and Gayatri unable to arrest the flow of points, Pearly and Thinaah soon earned 12 match points. Pearly then hit the net, but Gayatri sent the next shot wide to hand the Malaysians a 21-9 win and a place in the semifinals.
Kapila-Crasto push world No. 1 pair to the limit
Earlier, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto produced a spirited performance against world No. 1 Chinese pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping but eventually went down 14-21, 21-18, 18-21. The Indian mixed doubles pair struggled in the opening game as the Chinese combination established control and took a 21-14 lead.Kapila and Crasto responded brilliantly in the second game, raising their intensity and forcing the contest into a decider after securing a 21-18 win. The Indians continued to battle hard in the deciding game, but Feng and Huang held their nerve in the crucial moments to close out the match 21-18.
Sindhu, Unnati eye semifinal spots
India’s campaign in the singles events remains alive, with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and young Unnati Hooda set to feature in their respective women’s singles quarterfinals later on Sunday. Sindhu will take on China’s Chen Yu Fei, while Unnati will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi as the Indian duo look to keep the country’s medal hopes alive.
