A file photograph of P.V. Sindhu
| Photo Credit: AP
Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu made a winning return from a prolonged harm lay-off as India surprised formidable China 3-2 in the women’s competition of the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam on Wednesday.
With simply two groups in Group W, India have been assured of a knock-out spherical berth even earlier than their opening match however the staff made its mark in type with the shock win over the top-seeded Chinese facet.
The Indian males’s staff, which lifted the Thomas Cup in 2022 and secured a first-ever silver medal ultimately 12 months’s Asian Games, registered a dominating 4-1 win over Hong Kong to qualify for the knock-out spherical from Group A. Hong Kong had misplaced to China 0-5 on Tuesday. India will tackle prime seeds China on Thursday to determine the group winner in the boys’s part.
Sindhu, who was lacking in motion since October final 12 months as a result of a knee harm sustained on the French Open, led the best way as she beat higher-ranked Han Yue 21-17, 21-15 in 40 minutes to offer India 1-0 lead in the women’s tie.
The 28-year-old, who received a silver in the 2016 Olympics adopted by a bronze in the Tokyo Games, is at present ranked eleventh whereas Yue is world quantity eight.
The pair of Tanisha Castro and Ashwini Ponappa then misplaced to Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning 19-21 16-21, adopted by Ashmita Chaliha’s 13-21 15-21 loss to world quantity 9 Wang Zhi Yi, as India trailed 1-2 after three matches.
India have been on degree phrases when Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat the Chinese duo of Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min 10-21 21-18 21-17 in one hour and 9 minutes in the women’s doubles.
In the deciding match towards the second-string Chinese outfit, Anmol Kharb punched manner above her weight because the 472nd-ranked Indian emerged 22-20, 14-21, 21-18 winner over world quantity 149 Wu Luo Yu in a gruelling one hour and 17 minute contest to offer India a memorable win.
Meanwhile, in the boys’s competition, H.S. Prannoy misplaced the primary singles towards Ng Ka Long Angus 18-21,14-21 however that turned out to be the one blip for India who received the following 4 matches.
World primary males’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been ruthless in their 33-minute-long 21-16, 21-11 win over Lui Chun Wai and Yeung Shing Choi earlier than Lakshya Sen simply beat Chan Yin Chak 21-14,21-9 to offer India the lead.
With momentum on their facet, India rapidly wrapped up the tie with the pair of M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila making it 3-1 with a 21-12,21-7 win over Chow Hin Long and Hung Kuei Chun, earlier than Kidambi Srikanth beat Jason Gunawan 21-14, 21-18 to finish the rout.
The prime two groups from every of the 4 teams will make it to the knock-out spherical.
