Shah Alam (Malaysia), Feb 16 : India women’s team lost opening group tie 2-3 to the hosts Malaysia in the Badminton Asia Team Championships on Wednesday. India went down in three matches out of five, including three singles and two doubles. In the singles matches, Ashmita Chaliha and Tara Shah emerged victorious while Aakarshi Kashyap lost by close margin. But it was a disappointing day in the doubles discipline. Chaliha defeated Siti Nurshuhaini 21-11, 21-19 in straight sets, and Shah got the better of Myisha Mohd Khairul 21-16, 21-15.
Meanwhile, Kashyap suffered a 16-21, 21-18, 16-21 loss at the hands of K Selvaduray. In the doubles matches, Valeree Siow and Pearly Tan registered an easy 21-1, 21-6 win over India’s Khushi Gupta and Mehreen Riza. The duo of Arul Bala and Nila V lost 10-21,12-21 to Anna Ching Yik and Teoh Mei Xing. India will next play Japan on February 18. The top two teams from each group in men and women team events will advance to the semifinals and will directly qualify for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, which starts from May 8 in Thailand.
