In a historic moment, the Indian women’s badminton team secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships by defeating Hong Kong 3-0 in Selangor, Malaysia. This is the first time the Women’s Team will be getting a medal in the competition having played in previous three of the four editions. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu led the team’s charge, overcoming a spirited performance by Lo Sin Yan Happy to win 21-7, 16-21, 21-12 in the opening match.
Sindhu, returning after a prolonged injury-induced layoff, faced a tough challenge as Lo fought back in the second game with deceptive strokes, forcing a decider. However, Sindhu’s dominance in the final game secured the crucial lead for India.
The women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa continued India’s momentum, defeating the world No. 18 duo of Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam 21-10, 21-14. Ashmita Chaliha then sealed the quarterfinal victory with a convincing 21-12, 21-13 win over Yeung Sum Yee.
With this triumph, India is guaranteed a medal and will face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between top-seeded Japan and China in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team is set to take on Japan in their quarterfinal later in the day.