India rested some of their top players in their previous Group D match at Badminton Asia 2025, and South Korea took advantage, winning 3-2.
Despite the loss, India remained second runners-up in their group and qualified for the quarter-finals. They now await the knockouts in Qingdao, China. Here’s how the match went.
India vs South Korea: Group D Finale
India faced South Korea in the crucial Group D finale at the Badminton Asia 2025 Mixed Team Championships, where India lost 3-2. The match was hosted at the Conson Gymnasium in Qingdao, China. Despite the defeat, India had already secured a spot in the quarter-finals.
Key Results of The Finale
Men’s Singles: Sathish Kumar Karunakaran (India) vs Cho Geonyeop (South Korea)
- Result: Sathish Kumar Karunakaran won 17-21, 21-18, 21-19.
- Match Summary: The 48th-ranked Karunakaran pulled off an incredible comeback after losing the first game to win a close comeback win over world 135th-ranked Cho Geonyeop. He produced incredible second and third-game performances to take the match 2-1 and keep the hopes of India alive in the tie.
SUGGESTED READ: Orleans Masters 2025: Prannoy, Srikanth Reach Round 2
Women’s Doubles: Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand (India) vs Kim Min Ji & Kim Yu Jung (South Korea)
- Result: Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand won 19-21, 21-16, 21-11.
- Match Summary: The Indian pair was struggling initially in the first game but came back strongly. They came back to win the next two games and were able to secure a 2-1 victory. Their comeback in the later games kept India in the match.
Mixed Doubles: Dhruv Kapila & Tanisha Crasto (India) vs Jeong Na Eun & Ki Dong Ju (South Korea)
- Result: Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost 21-11, 12-21, 15-21.
- Match Summary: Paris 2024 Olympian Tanisha Crasto was paired with Dhruv Kapila for the mixed doubles. They performed well in the beginning but lost the second and third games to the top pair, Jeong Na Eun and Ki Dong Ju. This loss added more pressure on the Indian team in the overall tie.
Women’s Singles: Malvika Bansod (India) vs Sim Yu Jin (South Korea)
- Result: Malvika Bansod lost 21-9, 21-10.
- Match Summary: Malvika Bansod, world number 31 in the women’s singles, faced world number 19 Sim Yu Jin. Malvika could not match Sim’s energy and pace and lost both the games quite comfortably. With this loss, India’s job to win the overall tie became tougher.
Men’s Doubles: MR Arjun & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (India) vs Jin Yong & Na Sung Seung (South Korea)
- Result: MR Arjun and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost 21-14, 25-23.
- Match Summary: Indian duo MR Arjun and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy fought with an early setback as they lost the first game 21-14. They fought hard in the second game, making it a closely contested 25-23, but could not win it. India lost the tie 3-2 but advanced to the quarter-finals as Group D runners-up.
Key Players Rested
India chose to rest essential players such as Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and Chirag Shetty in their last group-stage game against South Korea at the Badminton Asia 2025 Mixed Team Championships for strategic reasons.
Having already secured a quarter-final place, the Indian side decided to leave their most able players in reserve for the knock-outs, knowing that the match would not impact their qualification.
Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy are key singles players for India, and their performance will be important in the later rounds. Chirag Shetty, one of the best doubles players, has been key to the team’s victories. India chose to rest these athletes to help them recover and prevent injuries before the important quarter-final match.
Quarter-final Qualification and Match Line-Up
Aside from finishing the runners-up in Group D, they had already qualified for the knockout round prior to this match. Defeat to South Korea thus did not affect their advancement in Badminton Asia 2025. Based on their official website, they have allocated several details
Quarter-Final Details
- Opponent: Japan is the opponent, having led Group C with wins over Kazakhstan and Thailand.
- Date and Time: The quarter-final match is planned for February 14, 2025, at 9:30 AM local time in Qingdao, China, which corresponds to 7:00 AM IST in India.
Match Line-Up
- Mixed Doubles: Dhruv Kapila / Tanisha Crasto (India) vs. Hiroki Midorikawa / Natsu Saito (Japan)
- Women’s Singles: Malvika Bansod (India) vs. Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan)
- Men’s Singles: HS Prannoy (India) vs. Kenta Nishimoto (Japan)
- Women’s Doubles: Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand (India) vs. Arisa Igarashi / Ayako Sakuramoto (Japan)
- Men’s Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty (India) vs. Takumi Nomura / Yuichi Shimogami (Japan)
YOU MIGHT READ: Badminton Star Kirsty Gilmour Battles On Despite Setbacks
