UBER CUP 2024: ANMOL KHARB LEAVES COURT IN TEARS AS CHINA BATTER INDIA 5-0 AHEAD OF QUARTERFINALS

NEW DELHI: Indian women's badminton team suffered a crushing 0-5 loss against the formidable Chinese side in their last group A match of the Uber Cup on Tuesday.

The absence of double Olympic-medallist P V Sindhu, who chose not to participate in the tournament, was felt as the inexperienced Indian team struggled to win a single game against the 15-time champions.

The match began with Olympic champion and world no.2 Chen Yu Fei easily defeating 83rd ranked Isharani Baruah 21-12 21-10. Isharani expressed her disappointment, stating, "A little disappointed in my game because I made too many errors, I thought I would play good with her but it was an easy win for her...the pace was really high, I had to increase my speed."

She added, "Her variations were good, and all her strokes were going in the third court and it wasn't comfortable to hit well. It was a tough game but it was a good experience."

The situation worsened for India when 17-year-old Anmol Kharb, who was playing against Han Yue, twisted her ankle while trying to defend a point.

Despite receiving medical attention, the pain persisted, and the swollen ankle forced her to retire from the match, giving China a 3-0 lead. Anmol left the court in tears, adding to India's woes.

In the remaining matches, the Chinese team continued their dominance, with Liu Shen Shu and Tan Ning defeating Simran Singh and Ritika Thaker 21-9 21-10, and Wang Zhi Yi beating Tanvi Sharma 21-7 21-16.

The Indian team, which had already qualified for the quarterfinals with wins against Canada and Singapore, will finish second in the group stage behind China.

(Inputs from PTI)