China Open Super 1000: Malvika Bansod loses to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals
Talented Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod was unable to defeat two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Friday, losing to the fourth-seeded Japanese in two straight games.
Malvika, ranked 43rd, struggled against the world No.5 and was defeated 10-21, 16-21 in only 35 minutes, leading to India’s exit from the Super 1000 tournament. The defeat comes a day after Malvika, aged 23, beat Kristy Gilmour, a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and world No. 25 from Scotland, in the round of 16.
Also read: Malvika Bansod enters quarter-finals of BWF China Open Super 1000
Malvika suffers third consecutive defeat to Yamaguchi
Malvika suffered her third consecutive defeat to Yamaguchi, who was previously ranked as the top player in the world.
The Nagpur player couldn’t compete with Yamaguchi in the first game, with the Japanese dominating with an eight-point lead at 12-4 before winning the game 21-10.
The second game was evenly matched with both players tied at 15 points each before Yamaguchi demonstrated her superior skills to defeat Malvika.
Although she lost, Bansod, who is 22 years old, had an impressive run during the esteemed Super 1000 tournament. She was the 43rd ranked player in the world and became the third Indian woman to make it to a Super 1000 quarterfinal, after legends PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal.
Also read: China Open Badminton: Malvika Bansod upsets Paris Olympics medalist
Bansod secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour in a thrilling three-game match, with scores of 21-17, 19-21, and 21-16.
Earlier, she had surprised Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, a bronze medallist in the Paris Olympics, from Indonesia.
