Paris Olympics, badminton: Ponnappa-Crasto lose second successive women's doubles clash
Indian badminton duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lost 11-21, 12-21 to Japan's Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in their Group C women's doubles clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With two successive defeats, Ponnappa and Crasto have slipped to third in their group, with the Japanese and the South Koreans leading. The Indian pair is all but out of the quarter-final race.
A look at match summary
India's Ponnappa and Crasto were down to 2-7 in the first game. The Japanese pair didn't give them any room to make a comeback thereafter. The Indian duo won only nine more points in the opening game. Matsuyama and Shida maintained their dominance in the second game, plundering a 7-1 lead. The Indian pair couldn't bounce back in this game too.
India third in Group C
As mentioned, Ponnappa and Crasto suffered their second women's doubles defeat at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Indian pair is now third in the Group C standings, behind second-placed Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong of Korea as well as Matsuyama and Shida of China. The top-two pairs from each of the groups will reach the quarter-finals.
