Ichinomiya City, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s PV Sindhu lost to three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the opening rubber of the women’s team quarterfinal at the Asian Games here on Tuesday, giving Japan a 1-0 lead in the tie.
Sindhu fought back from a difficult start to win the opening game 23-21 in a tie-break, but Yamaguchi responded strongly to take the second game 21-18 and then dominated the decider 21-11.
Sindhu initially trailed 6-10 in the opening game but fought back to level the score at 12-12. She again recovered from 15-18 down, saved a game point and eventually closed out the game 23-21.
The second game saw Yamaguchi establish a 17-12 advantage. Sindhu responded with a quick burst of points to reduce the deficit to 16-18, but the Japanese shuttler regained control and moved ahead 19-16 before securing the game 21-18.
The deciding game was largely one-sided. Yamaguchi stepped up the pressure as the physical demands of the long exchanges began to show on Sindhu. The Indian trailed 4-11 at the interval and was unable to mount another comeback, eventually losing the decider 11-21.
The defeat leaves Sindhu with a 16-15 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi. The two had met 30 times before Tuesday’s contest, with Sindhu holding a 16-14 advantage.
Unnati Hooda will now take on Tomoka Miyazaki in the second rubber as India look to level the quarterfinal.
India’s women’s team has won only one Asian Games medal in the event — a bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games. At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Indian women’s team exited in the quarterfinals after a 0-3 loss to Thailand.
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