India's Last Hope Falls at Badminton Asia Championships

India's journey at the Badminton Asia Championships 2025 concludes as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exit in the Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals. Earlier, top players like PV Sindhu and Priyanshu Rajawat saw early exits, marking a disappointing campaign for Indian shuttlers.

India's last standing contenders, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, bowed out of the Badminton Asia Championships 2025 in the Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals on Friday. Facing Hong Kong's formidable fifth-seeded pair, Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, the Indian duo succumbed 22-20, 21-13, thus marking the end of India's presence in the tournament, according to a statement from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

The tournament, which persists until Sunday, has been tough on other Indian participants as well. Earlier, PV Sindhu, competing in the Women's Singles, alongside Kiran George and Priyanshu Rajawat in the Men's Singles category, all reached the Round of 16 before their respective defeats. Additionally, the Men's Doubles team of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi also exited following strong competition.

In a notable face-off between two former world champions, Sindhu, the current world number 17, was defeated by Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, world number four, in an intense three-set match lasting one hour and six minutes. According to Olympics.com, this latest loss marks Sindhu's 12th defeat to Yamaguchi over 26 encounters, including three successive losses since defeating her Japanese rival during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics quarterfinals.

In the Men's Singles category, Priyanshu Rajawat fell to fifth seed Kodai Naraoka in back-to-back games, losing 14-21, 17-21. Meanwhile, Kiran George showed initial promise against Thailand's third-seed, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, yet eventually lost after three sets with scores of 21-19, 13-21, 16-21. Vitidsarn holds the title of current world champion and was the Men's Singles silver medalist at the 2024 Olympics.

The tournament also saw Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh face a challenging match against China's top-seeded Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, resulting in a 21-11, 21-14 loss in Women's Doubles. Additionally, in Men's Doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi were defeated by Malaysia's sixth-seeded duo, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, with scores of 21-15, 21-14 in just over thirty minutes. Moreover, prominent shuttlers Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, who are both Paris 2024 Olympians, were eliminated in the first round. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)