India's journey in the
The tie began with a high-stakes encounter between two-time Olympic medalist
Japan Clinches Semifinal Spot as India Fights Back
The pressure mounted for India when Unnati Hooda faced Tomoka Miyazaki in the second match. Although Hooda held a narrow lead at the mid-game interval of the opening set, she was unable to maintain her advantage, falling 16-21. The second game followed a similar pattern; despite a strong start that saw her lead 11-4, Hooda could not hold off Miyazaki’s recovery, eventually losing 18-21 to extend Japan’s lead to 2-0.
India briefly kept their hopes alive through the experienced doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Facing the world number three duo of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, the Indian pair delivered a standout performance. After securing the first game 21-17, they maintained their composure in the second, winning 21-16 to pull the tie back to 2-1.
However, the comeback attempt was halted in the fourth match. Tanvi Sharma, tasked with keeping India in the contest, struggled against Nozomi Okuhara. Okuhara controlled the pace of the match, winning the first game 21-12 and closing out the second 21-10 to seal the 3-1 victory for Japan.
