Ichinomiya City, Sep 22 (IANS) World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have kept India’s hopes alive in the badminton women’s team quarterfinals against Japan by beating Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in the third rubber.
As India trailing 0-2 after PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda lost their respective singles matches, Treesa-Gayatri made the perfect start in a must-win tie as they registered the straight games 21-17, 21-16 win the world no. 3 Japanese pair.
Earleir in the second rubber, Unnati Hooda lost to Akane Yamaguchi here at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium as Japan are leading India 2-0.
Unnati was leading 11-10 at the break in the first game, but the Indian lost momentum, allowing the Japanese shuttler to make a comeback and take the opening game 21-16.
The Indian was leading 11-4 in the second game, but as the finish line approached, she was trailing 15-16, and the Japanese didn’t let the Indian come back in the game, wrapping up the match by taking the second 18-21.
Now the onus is now on the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to keep India’s hopes alive in the quarterfinal as they are taking on Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
In the first rubber, after rallying to win the first game in a tie-break, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu lost 21-23, 21-18, 21-11 against three-time world champion Yamaguchi.
Sindhu did well to cover up the 6-10 deficit, reaching 12-12 staging another comeback from 15-18 and saving a game point to win the opening game 23-21. Yamaguchi then pocketed the second game 21-18 to force the decider, which she won 21-11 to give Japan an early lead.
India’s women have won just one Asian Games team medal, a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games. In the 2023 edition, Indian women bowed out in the quarterfinal after losing 0-3 to Thailand
