SUZHOU, May 15 — India crashed out of the Sudirman Cup in China today, a 5-0 loss to Malaysia ending the badminton-crazy nation’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
India needed a win after slumping to a comprehensive 4-1 defeat to Taiwan in their opening tie yesterday.
But their fate was sealed when PV Sindhu’s 14-21, 21-10, 22-20 loss to Goh Jin Wei in the women’s singles gave the Malaysians an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The biennial Sudirman Cup is one of badminton’s biggest tournaments and this year has an extra edge because performances count towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The mixed team competition in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou is the first global sporting event held in the country since it ditched its zero-Covid policy in December.
The hosts have won the trophy a record 12 times and are the current holders.
They thrashed minnows Egypt 5-0 in their opening game on Sunday but were not in action on Monday.
Instead, Japan — runners-up in the past two competitions — bounced back from an initial mixed doubles defeat to beat France 4-1.
Women’s world number one Akane Yamaguchi needed less than half an hour to see off French opponent Alex Lanier 21-13, 21-8 in her singles match.
Four-time winners South Korea cruised to a 4-1 win over England, while Indonesia chalked up a 5-0 whitewash of Canada and Thailand downed Germany 4-1.
Virtually all international sports events ground to a halt after the coronavirus pandemic emerged in China in late 2019, with the notable exception of last year’s Beijing Winter Olympics that were held in a virus-secure “bubble”. — AFP
