Malvika Bansod during the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2025 in Qingdao, China. (Image: BAMTC) 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.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!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.
India crash out of Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships after 0-3 loss to Japan | Badminton News
