Malaysia whitewash ends India’s Sudirman Cup badminton hopes, with Chinese Taipei also through
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India's Sai Pratheek K. (left) with partner Tanisha Crasto in the Sudirman Cup finals in Suzhou, on May 14, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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Suzhou – India crashed out of the Sudirman Cup in China on Monday, a 5-0 loss to Malaysia ending the badminton-crazy nation’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
The South Asians needed a win after slumping to a comprehensive 4-1 defeat by Taiwan in their opening Group C tie on Sunday.
But their fate was sealed when P.V. Sindhu’s 14-21, 21-10, 22-20 loss to Goh Jin Wei in the women’s singles gave the Malaysians an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The Sudirman Cup is one of badminton’s biggest tournaments and in 2023 has an extra edge because performances count towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The mixed team competition in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou is the first global sporting event held in the country since it ditched its zero-Covid policy in December.
The hosts have won the trophy a record 12 times and are the current holders.
They thrashed minnows Egypt 5-0 in their opening Group A tie on Sunday but were not in action on Monday. Twice runners-up Denmark beat Singapore 4-1 and are expected to accompany the hosts into the quarter-finals.
Instead, Japan – runners-up in the past two competitions – bounced back from an initial mixed doubles defeat to beat France 4-1 in Group D.
Women’s world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi needed less than half an hour to see off French opponent Leonice Huet 21-13, 21-8 in her singles match.
Four-time winners South Korea cruised to a 4-1 win over England also in Group D, while 1989 inaugural champions Indonesia chalked up a 5-0 whitewash of Canada and Thailand downed Germany 4-1 – both in Group B.
Virtually all international sports events ground to a halt after the coronavirus pandemic emerged in China in late 2019, with the notable exception of the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics that were held in a virus-secure “bubble”. AFP
