Asian Games: Quimcy Dsouza loses Teqball singles bronze match to Japan’s Sakamoto

Nagoya: India’s Quimcy Dsouza missed out on a bronze medal in the women’s singles Teqball event after losing to Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in a closely fought contest at the Asian Games on Sunday.

Playing against the home favourite and world No. 7, Quimcy had to recover from an early deficit in the opening set but could not convert her comeback into a winning start. Sakamoto eventually held her nerve in the decisive exchanges to take the set 12-11.

Quimcy had trailed 3-6 and later 7-9 before mounting a spirited fightback. She moved ahead 11-10, only for Sakamoto to level the scores before edging the final points to claim the set.

The Indian started the second set strongly and appeared poised to force a decider. Quimcy established a 6-3 advantage and later moved 10-7 ahead, but Sakamoto’s experience came to the fore once again.

The Japanese player gradually erased the deficit, using a variety of deft touches and shots to put Quimcy under pressure. She eventually drew level at 10-10, then took the lead in the closing exchanges and sealed the bronze medal.

The contest also featured several unusual interruptions as points had to be replayed following edge balls. In Teqball, an edge ball occurs when the ball catches the edge of the curved table, resulting in the point being replayed.

Quimcy’s singles campaign may have ended without a medal, but her Asian Games journey is not over yet.

The Indian will have another opportunity to finish on the podium when she partners Mohamed Anas Imran Beg in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match. The Indian pair will face Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Nghi Trinh.

For Quimcy, the focus now shifts to the mixed doubles contest and another opportunity to secure a medal on her Asian Games debut as she and Mohamed Anas Beg Imran face Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Minh Tan and Trinh Gia Nghi.

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