Ichinomiya, Sep 20 (IANS) India eased past Kazakhstan 3-0 in the women’s badminton team Round of 16 to book their place in the quarterfinals.
After PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda won the first two matches in straight games, Tanvi Sharma completed the sweep with a win over Diana Namenova.
India will face Japan, who have received a first-round bye, on Tuesday for a place in the semifinals, where a win would secure a medal.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu comfortably beat Kamila Smagulova 21-7, 21-9 in 24 minutes to give India a 1-0 lead. Unnati then joined the party and defeated Alissa Kuleshova 21-7, 21-10 in 22 minutes to double India’s lead. It was World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi who completed the sweep with a 21-5, 21-10 win over Diana Namenova in just 19 minutes.
A Japanese challenge in the quarterfinal could bring some heavyweight singles contests, with PV Sindhu potentially facing Akane Yamaguchi and Unnati Hooda up against Tomoka Miyazaki.
In doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand could be tested by Japan’s leading combinations, including Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto and Kie Nakanishi-Suzu Iwana.
India’s women have won just one Asian Games team medal, a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games. In the 2023 edition, Indian women bowed out in the quarterfinal after losing 0-3 to Thailand.
Last, the edition’s silver-medalled men’s team will be in action on Monday when it takes on Bangladesh in the round of 16.
In Hangzhou, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won India’s first Asian Games badminton gold medal, while HS Prannoy secured bronze in the men’s singles.
The reigning silver medallists could then face Japan in the quarterfinals, setting up a possible singles battle between Lakshya Sen and Kodai Naraoka, while Ayush Shetty could meet Yushi Tanaka. Satwik and Chirag could face the Japanese pairing of Hiroki Okamura and Takuro Hoki, depending on the tie-ups.
–IANS
bc/vi
