PETALING JAYA: An understrength South Korean team, led by talented men’s doubles shuttler Jin Yong, pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory over India in the Asia Mixed Team Championships at the Qingdao Conson Sports Centre in China yesterday.
South Korea did not name the likes of world champions An Se-young (women’s singles), Seo Seung-jae, Kang Min-hyuk and Paris Olympics silver medallist Kim Won-ho (men’s doubles) for the team meet but still had enough to edge 2023 bronze medallists India to finish top of Group D.
India boasted a stronger squad but opted to rest the likes of Lakshya Sen, H. S. Prannoy (men’s singles) and Chirag Shetty (men’s doubles).
The decision backfired when Jin Yong combined brilliantly with Na Sung-seung to beat Chirag’s usual partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and M. R. Arjun 21-14, 25-23 to give Korea the winning point.
Earlier, mixed doubles pair Ki Dong-ju-Jeong Na-eun came from behind to topple Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila 11-21, 21-12, 21-15.
Sim Yu-jin then doubled Korea’s lead by sweeping aside Malvika Bansod 21-9, 21-10 in the women’s singles.
Malvika was fielded after 2019 world champion P. V. Sindhu had to withdraw from the event due to injury.
India though reduced the deficit through K. Satish Kumar, who fought hard to beat Cho Geon-yeop 17-21, 21-18, 21-19 in the men’s singles.
Women’s doubles duo Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand then equalled the scores by beating the unheralded Kim Min-ji-Kim Yu-jung 19-21, 21-16, 21-11.
The Koreans, though, were not to be denied as Jin Yong-Sung-seung kept their cool in a close second game to hand their team the victory.
Jin Yong came into the tournament in fine form after capturing the Thailand Masters earlier this month with Seung-jae and did not disappoint.
Despite the defeat, India still followed Korea into the quarter-finals after thumping Macau 5-0 a day earlier.
