Qingdao (China): India’s campaign at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2025 came to an end in the quarterfinals after a 0-3 defeat to former champions Japan here on Friday.
Up-and-coming mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto and women’s singles shuttler Malvika Bansod put up spirited performances against higher-ranked opponents but could not prevent India’s exit from the tournament.
In the opening match of the tie, Dhruv and Tanisha faced the world No. 12 combination of Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito. The Indian duo staged a strong fightback in the second game to force a decider, but the experienced Japanese pair ultimately prevailed in a 61-minute contest, winning 21-13, 17-21, 21-13, giving Japan a 1-0 lead.
Malvika Bansod then took on world No. 8 Tomoka Miyazaki in the women’s singles. The Indian shuttler put up a resilient performance, especially in the second game, but could not stop the Japanese star from securing a 21-12, 21-19 victory, extending Japan’s lead to 2-0.
With India needing a win to stay in the contest, Asian Games bronze medallist HS Prannoy stepped onto the court against Kenta Nishimoto in the men’s singles tie. Prannoy, 32, fought back after losing the first game and took the second to push the match into a decider. However, Nishimoto was dominant in the third, racing to a 6-0 lead before sealing the match 21-14, 15-21, 21-12 in an hour and 17 minutes, completing Japan’s 3-0 triumph.
With this loss, India’s campaign in the tournament ended in the quarterfinals, while Japan advanced to the semifinals.
