Badminton: India loses to Thailand 0-3 Uber Cup

The hosts blanked them as PV Sindhu started the campaign against Ratchanok Intanon, and after that, India's chances of winning grew slim. Hence, the unseeded team failed to open their account in the quarter-final tie, missing out on a medal in the prestigious Uber Cup 2022. Previously, the Indian women's side had won bronze medals in 2014 and 2016, but they have not managed to reach the semi-final stages of the team event over the last two editions.

PV Sindhu's lacklustre performance paved the way for a knock-out.

India had advanced into the quarter-final on the back of a 0-5 loss to Korea after finishing second in Group D by defeating Canada and the USA in the Uber Cup group stage. Unfortunately, India's biggest hope, PV Sindhu, failed to conjure a promising start to their tie against Thailand. She lost to her well-known rival Ratchanok Intanon in three games despite earning an early advantage by winning the first game. The double-Olympic medalist couldn't outdo Intanon's deceptive tactics and lost the first singles match 21-19, 17-21, 12-21, which lasted for nearly an hour. Sindhu also lost to An Seyoung in straight games during India's defeat to Korea.

The young and inexperienced Indian shuttlers were powerless against Thailand, especially in doubles matches. In the second match of the tie, Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi failed to overcome the world number eight pairing of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 16-21, 13-21. In the decisive match, Pornpawee Chochuwong easily tackled Indian Akarshi Kashyap, who conceded the contest 16-21, 11-21 in 42 minutes. 

Saina Nehwal's absence has caused the defeat.

The defeat has been reportedly attributed to Saina Nehwal's absence. The Olympic bronze medallist missed out on the trials for the multi-nation tournaments in 2022. Meanwhile, the Indian men's side defeated Malaysia 3-2 in the quarter-final of the Thomas Cup in Bangkok. The Kidambi Srikanth-led team also finished second in their group after losing to Chinese Taipei 2-3 in their final Group D match.