India Enters Maiden Semi-Finals in Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023, Secures Direct Entry into Sudirman Cup
India's makeshift men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Dhruv Kapila won a crucial match against Tang Chun Man and Yeung Shing Choi 20-22, 21-16, 21-11, to keep India alive in the contest.
India made history by securing a place in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships for the first time. After falling behind 2-0, India mounted an impressive comeback to beat Hong Kong 3-2 in a thrilling match at the Dubai Exhibition Centre. The win also guarantees India a medal and a place in the Sudirman Cup 2023.
The mixed doubles pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto got India off to a great start by racing to a 10-0 lead in the first game, but Hong Kong fought back to win the match 26-24, 21-17. Lakshya Sen, India’s Commonwealth Games men’s singles champion, lost a closely contested match against world No. 14 NG Ka Long Angus 22-20, 19-21, 18-21.
India's makeshift men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Dhruv Kapila won a crucial match against Tang Chun Man and Yeung Shing Choi 20-22, 21-16, 21-11, to keep India alive in the contest. In the fourth rubber, India’s top player PV Sindhu was upstaged by world No. 258 Saloni Mehta in the first game but eventually won the match 16-21, 21-7, 21-9.
With the semi-final spot on the line, India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, both 19-year-olds, secured India's place in the semi-finals by defeating Ng Tsz Yau and Ng Wing Yung 21-13, 21-12 in the women’s doubles match.
In the semi-finals, India will face defending champions China, who defeated Malaysia in the other quarter-final match. The Indian team will need to bring their A-game to take on the mighty Chinese team, who are the favorites to win the competition.
Lakshya Sen played well in the quarter-finals, but it was not enough to overcome the challenge of NG Ka Long Angus. The Hong Kong shuttler was determined and brought his big game into the mix, eventually dominating the decider to win the match. Sen's go-to trick was the pace acceleration, hitting the next gear in hitting and it helped him cover up leads, but Angus had far too much firepower at the crunch as he first levelled and then dominated the decider.
