Asian Games: Double setback for India as badminton pairs bow out

India's badminton campaign at the Asian Games hit a roadblock as women's doubles pair Treesa-Gayatri and mixed doubles duo Dhruv-Tanisha were knocked out in the quarterfinals. However, India advanced in archery, athletics, and surfing events.

Badminton: Double Heartbreak in Quarterfinals

India suffered a double setback in badminton on Day 8 of the Asian Games as Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto bowed out in their respective quarterfinals here on Sunday.

Treesa and Gayatri, who had stunned world No. 3 and home favourites Mayu Matsumoto-Yuki Fukushima in the previous round, went down 18-21, 9-21 to Malaysia's Pearly Koong Le Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the women's doubles last-eight clash, according to ESPN.

The Indian pair struggled to cope with the Malaysians' pace and were forced into errors, particularly in the second game. After trailing 8-16, Treesa and Gayatri conceded a 10-point gap at 8-18 and saved a match point but the opponents rode to victory.

Earlier, Dhruv and Tanisha pushed world No. 1 Huang Dongping and Feng Yan Zhe of China all the way before losing 14-21, 21-18, 18-21 in the mixed doubles quarterfinals. The Indians bounced back after losing the opening game and forced a decider, where they stayed within touching distance of the top seeds and were as close as 16-17. However, the Chinese pair held their nerve to seal the contest.

Dhruv and Tanisha had entered the quarterfinals after defeating the world No. 10 pair in the previous round.

Other Sports: A Day of Mixed Fortunes

Elsewhere on Day 8, India progressed to the semifinals of both the men's and women's compound team events in archery.

In athletics, Tejaswin Shankar finished third in the men's decathlon 110m hurdles with 932 points and remained atop the overall standings with 5,270 points.

Another Indian decathlon athlete, Thowfeeq Noushad, did not start the event.

In surfing, Sivaraj Babu advanced to the men's shortboard Round 3 after defeating Iran's Davoud Khadir, while Kamali Prakash and Sugar Shanti Gayen progressed to the women's shortboard Round 3.

India suffered defeats in sepaktakraw and kurash, with the women's doubles team losing 0-2 to South Korea in Group B. Bharti went down 0-3 to Iran's Tahereh Azarpeivand in the women's 57kg Round of 16, while Sangita lost 0-10 to Charmea Quelino in the Round of 32.

Medal Tally Update

India are currently 10th in the medal standings with 30 medals, comprising four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze. (ANI)

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