India lost 1-4 to Indonesia in a group D match on Tuesday in Xiamen, sending struggling singles players PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy home from the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals.
India needed to win Tuesday’s match to advance to the knockout stage after losing to Denmark 1-4 in their opening encounter on Sunday. India’s last group match against England, who also eliminated from the competition, is now meaningless due to the loss.
After winning two straight games, Denmark advanced to the knockout stage together with Indonesia, who had defeated England 5-0 on Sunday. On Tuesday, Denmark defeated England 5-0.
It was a must-win game for India because only two teams advanced from the group to the knockout stage, but their more favored opponents outperformed them. Prannoy and Sindhu, their top singles players, were in terrible form, which hurt the team’s chances.
Prannoy and Sindhu had both lost their singles and women’s matches against Denmark.
The mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto gave India a winning start after defeating Gloria Emanuelle Widjala and Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto 10-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a demanding one-hour and ten-minute encounter.
Double Olympic medallist Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, lost 12-21, 13-21 in 38 minutes to world number 11 Putri Kusuma Wardani, a player she has defeated twice, as she continues to struggle for form.
Prannoy was facing Jonatan Christie, and he was ahead after winning the first game 21-19, with the scores tied at 1-1. However, after defeating the world number 30 Indian in the second and third games, 21-14 and 21-12, the world number six Indonesian gained control of the match.
Lanny Tria Mayasari and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti defeated the women’s doubles team of Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra 10-21, 9-21, while Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin defeated the men’s doubles team of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi 20-22, 18-21.
