Lakshya Sen produced a stirring comeback from the brink of defeat before Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ayush Shetty completed a commanding 3-0 victory over Japan Tuesday, assuring the Indian men’s badminton team of a medal at the Asian Games.
Silver medallists at the previous edition, India entered the semifinals after a flawless quarterfinal performance against the hosts. Lakshya set up the victory by overcoming world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka 11-21, 21-5, 21-19, Satwik and Chirag defeated Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-18, 24-22, before Ayush sealed the tie with a 21-10, 21-19 victory over world No. 16 Koki Watanabe.
India will face the winner of the quarterfinal between defending champions China and Korea in Wednesday’s semifinals.
Lakshya turns it around
The opening singles produced the day’s biggest turnaround. World No. 14 Lakshya, who entered the Games following a string of early exits and had also been troubled by a back injury, appeared headed for another defeat after losing the opening game and falling 14-19 behind in the deciding game.
Naraoka had also beaten the Indian in four of their previous five meetings.
After struggling with the drift and surrendering the first game 11-21, Lakshya responded emphatically following a pep talk from chief coach Pullela Gopichand. He attacked Naraoka’s backhand, mixed his strokes effectively and raced to an 11-2 advantage before taking the second game 21-5.
Naraoka regained control in the decider and led 11-6 at the interval before stretching the advantage to 16-10. Two errors from Lakshya left the Japanese shuttler just two points from victory at 19-14.
Lakshya, however, refused to yield. The 25-year-old reeled off seven consecutive points as Naraoka came under increasing pressure. Two precise returns to the back line brought up match point before the Japanese player sent his next shot into the net, completing Lakshya’s remarkable escape.
Satwik-Chirag double lead
Satwik and Chirag then gave India control of the tie by overcoming former world champions Hoki and Kobayashi in straight games.
The Indian pair, winners of two titles this season, took the opening game 21-18 before being pushed hard in the second. They held their nerve through a tense finish to take it 24-22 and put India 2-0 ahead.
Ayush, who reached the Badminton Asia Championships final earlier this year, ensured there would be no Japanese comeback. The Indian dominated Watanabe in the opening game and maintained his composure when the Japanese player challenged him in the second, winning 21-10, 21-19 to complete the sweep and guarantee India at least a bronze.
Former India coach Vimal Kumar said the victory brought back memories of India’s win over Japan at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, when he was part of a team that also included Prakash Padukone, Syed Modi, Uday Pawar, Ravi Kunte, Leroy D’Sa and Sanat Misra.
“It was a proud moment for all of us and a memorable victory for Indian badminton,” Kumar said of the 1986 result. “Great to see similar memories being created again. It takes me right back to Seoul 1986.”
Women bow out
The men’s victory came after India’s women suffered a 1-3 quarterfinal defeat to Japan earlier Tuesday.
World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand delivered India’s only victory, with the singles players unable to get past their Japanese opponents.
PV Sindhu began strongly against former world champion Akane Yamaguchi, recovering from 13-17 down to claim an intense opening game 23-21. Yamaguchi responded by taking the second 21-18 despite another attempted comeback from Sindhu.
The decider slipped away quickly from the Indian as Yamaguchi opened up a 14-6 advantage. Sindhu was unable to recover this time, allowing the Japanese to complete the turnaround and help the hosts advance to the semifinals.
For India, the focus now shifts to the men’s semifinal Wednesday as they attempt to improve on the silver medal won at the previous Asian Games.