Indian women’s badminton team qualified for the knockout stage of the Uber Cup Finals after defeating USA 4-1 in a Group D match in Bangkok on Tuesday.
India, who had defeated Canada 4-1 in their opening tie, notched up a second successive win to cement their position in the top two spot in their group to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Uber Cup, India vs USA as it happened: PV Sindhu and Co clinch the tie 4-1, qualify for knockouts
PV Sindhu, wasting little time, took India off to a winning start in this tie. Promoted to the first doubles slot, Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly then made it 2-0 with another impressive outing. Aakarshi Kashyap registered a tidy win to give India the point for the tie and all but assured of a place in the knockouts (once Korea won their tie later on against Canada).
Simran Singhi and Ritika Thakker couldn’t complete their comeback in the second doubles tie after fighting back in the second game. In the end, Ashmita Chaliha applied the finishing touches with relative ease as India wrapped up the tie 4-1.
Sindhu once again lead the proceedings with a 21-10, 21-11 win over Jennie Gai. In their first meeting, the Indian star faced little trouble in wrapping things up.
Then the scratch doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly (19 and 18 years old) beat Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee (16 and 17 years old) 21-19, 21-10 in the battle of teenagers.
The clincher came from Aakashi Kashyap who notched up a 21-18, 21-11 victory over Esther Shi as India took an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Young doubles pair of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker then went down fighting to Lauren Lam and Kodi Tang Lee 12-21, 21-17, 13-21.
In the final match, Ashmita Chaliha defeated Natalie Chi 21-18, 21-13 in an impressive performance.
Indian women’s team, which has won two bronze medals in the past, will next face Korea on Wednesday in their last group match. The An Seyoung-led side were pushed by Canada quite a bit, especially in the middle phase. If Sindhu can register her first win against the rising Korean star, India could potentially push for the top spot in the group which could be invaluable. But the Koreans, given their doubles strength, will start heavy favourites.
Lineup of the matches in India’s tie against Korea:
On Monday, the Indian men’s team also qualified for the knockout stage after ensuring their place in the top two in their group. They will face Chinese Taipei on Wednesday to decide the group toppers.
Thomas Cup: Srikanth, Satwik-Chirag and Prannoy help India defeat Canada 5-0, qualify for knockouts