Nagoya, India’s Quimcy Dsouza’s spirited campaign endured a heartbreaking double setback on Sunday, narrowly missing out on a women’s singles bronze before returning minutes later to lose the mixed doubles bronze-medal clash alongside Mohamed Anas Beg at the Asian Games here on Sunday.
The Mumbai girl pushed Japanese world No. 7 Yuina Sakamoto all the way in the singles bronze-medal match, going down 0-2 , before the physical toll of an intense battle caught up with her in the mixed doubles contest, where the Indian pair lost to Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Ngih Trinh 0-2 .
She even saved a match point and served a winner, only to commit a foul that handed Sakamoto the match. Despite the heartbreaking finishes in both events, India’s deep run in the tournament underlined the country’s rapid progress in a sport that is still relatively new back home. In the first two sets, a player can win by a single point, while if the match goes to a deciding third set, the winner must secure a two-point margin to seal the issue. Players use any part of their body except their hands and arms, with a maximum of three touches allowed per side to return the ball.
Quimcy had a set point in the opening game and then raced to a 10-8 lead in the second as she looked to force a decider. Trailing 5-9 in the second game, the physical toll of playing two intense matches in little over an hour began to show. As per the rules, the first player to reach 12 points wins a set.
The match is played in a best-of-three sets format, with the first player to win two sets taking the contest.
