India’s badminton teams, both men and women, are set to compete against Japan in the quarter-finals of the team events on Tuesday, September 22, in Aichi-Nagoya. This matchup presents a tough challenge for both Indian teams, as they face the host nation Japan, known for their strong badminton prowess.
The Indian women’s team is eager to break their medal drought in the team event at the Asian Games, having last secured a bronze medal in 2014. Meanwhile, the men’s team, who were runners-up in the previous edition in 2022, are hoping to make a strong showing.
The women’s team gets underway at 6 AM IST, aiming to build on their impressive 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan in the first round. Japan, which received a bye into the quarter-finals, won a bronze medal in the women’s team event at the last Asian Games held in Hangzhou.
A key player to watch will be PV Sindhu, who needs to perform at her best for India to stand a chance against Japan. Sindhu will compete in both the singles and doubles matches on Tuesday, partnering with Tanisha Crasto in the second women’s doubles match. India had the option to field less experienced players but opted for the seasoned duo of Sindhu and Crasto.
In her opening singles match, Sindhu is set to face Akane Yamaguchi, the world-ranked No. 3 and a silver medallist at the World Championships. Sindhu holds a narrow 16-14 advantage in their overall encounters and triumphed in their most recent clash at the Japan Open in July.
Starting strong is crucial for India, especially with younger players Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma slated to play in the subsequent singles matches. Japan will field experienced players Nozomi Okuhara and Tomoka Miyazaki, with the latter ranked No. 7 in the world.
On the doubles front, India will rely on Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, the World Championships bronze medallists, as they take on Japan’s formidable duo of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. For India to advance to the semi-finals and secure at least a bronze, Sindhu and the Gayatri-Treesa pair will need to deliver strong performances.
India vs Japan Women’s Team Quarter-finals Line-ups (Ranking in brackets)
Match 1:
WS 1: PV Sindhu (11) vs Akane Yamaguchi (3)
Match 2:
WS 2: Unnati Hooda (24) vs Tomoka Miyazaki (7)
Match 3:
WD 1: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand (26) vs Yuki Fukushima/Maysu Matsumoto (3)
Match 4:
WD 2: PV Sindhu/Tanisha Crasto vs Kie Nakanishi/Rin Uesaka
Match 5:
WS 3: Tanvi Sharma (26) vs Nozomi Okuhara (10)
Can the Men’s Team Triumph Against Japan?
The men’s badminton team enters this match full of confidence after a convincing 3-0 win over Bangladesh in their opening match. However, they are aware of Japan’s potential to create problems, having lost to them 2-3 in an earlier group stage clash this year.
This time around, India is benefiting from a full-strength squad, including strong performances from their top players Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and Kidambi Srikanth, all of whom won their matches against Bangladesh.
Japan, on the other hand, rested their best player, Kodai Naraoka, in their own match against Kazakhstan. Naraoka is expected to compete against Lakshya Sen in the first singles match. Historically, Naraoka has had the upper hand, defeating Lakshya six times out of eight encounters.
The men’s team can also consider starting with Ayush Shetty, who defeated Naraoka in their last faceoff during the Australian Open. HS Prannoy, another experienced player, may also be called upon despite facing challenges earlier this season.
India will count on their doubles teams, especially Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who recently claimed victory at the China Masters. However, the singles players must set the tone early in the matches for the doubles teams to have a chance to finish strong.
India vs Japan Men’s Team Quarter-final Line-ups
Yet to be announced.
This thrilling quarter-final matchup promises to be a showcase of talent and determination from both Indian teams.
