Thomas and Uber Cup 2018: Japan drub India 5-0, Saina Nehwal squanders match points

Top seeds and five-time champions Japan put up a masterful display to drub India 5-0 in the final Group A tie at the Thomas and Uber Cup 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday. Saina Nehwal was the only one able to win a game and she also came close to notching up a win only to squander four match points in a 19-21, 21-9, 20-22 loss to the World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi in 54 minutes.

With two losses and one win, the Indian women thus exit the Uber Cup to join the men, who had departed from the Thomas Cup a day earlier.

The Commonwealth Games champion Nehwal made a fantastic comeback after losing the first game narrowly. She outplayed her fellow former World No. 1 with some pinpoint accuracy and wonderful movement.

Even in the decider, Saina was in control until the end and was very near to getting a win with four match points in hand at 20-16. The Japanese saved the first two with a crosscourt smash and exceptional netplay. Nehwal gave up the next two with unforced errors.

The Japanese made the most of her second chance and bagged the win, having captured six points in a row.

Other than Saina, there wasn’t anything of note from the other Indian shuttlers. Sanyogita Ghorpade and Prajakta Sawant stayed close to the World No. 4 pair of Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the first game before succumbing to a 15-21, 6-21 defeat in 30 minutes.

World champion Nozomi Okuhara then took the court against the 16-year-old Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka. The Indian teen fought bravely in the second game but it was definitely not enough against an opponent of such calibre. The Japanese beat the Indian 21-10, 21-13 to seal Japan’s win over India in this tie.

In the fourth rubber of the day, the World No. 5 combine of Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto staved off a late challenge from the Indian pair of Vaishnavi Bhale and Meghana Jakkampudi for a 21-8, 21-17 win in 30 minutes.

World No. 17 Sayaka Takahashi then easily beat 19-year-old Anura Prabhudesai 21-12, 21-7 to complete Japan’s dominant performance.

India had won a bronze in Uber Cup in the last two editions. But with so many of the top stars opting out this time, it was always an uphill task.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian men had crashed out of the Thomas Cup after a similar 0-5 annihilation inflicted by top seeds China. Despite the forgettable outing, it is expected that the youngsters will benefit from this experience and take the positives out of it to improve themselves.