Changzhou, Sep 20 (UNI) India’s Malvika Bansod was eliminated from the China Open 2024 badminton tournament after a straight-sets defeat to Japan’s two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles quarterfinals on Friday.
Bansod, ranked 43rd in the world, was beaten 21-10, 21-16 in just 35 minutes by Yamaguchi, who is ranked eighth globally. The loss ended India’s participation in the final BWF Super 1000 tournament of the year.
Yamaguchi dominated from the start, taking a commanding 11-4 lead in the first game before sealing the victory. Bansod put up a stronger fight in the second game, but Yamaguchi, the fourth seed, proved too strong.
This marks the third time Bansod, 23, has lost to Yamaguchi, with their most recent encounter at the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships also ending in a close defeat for the Indian player.
Earlier in the tournament, Bansod claimed notable victories, including a win over Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the Paris 2024 bronze medallist, in the round of 32. She also defeated Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour to reach her first BWF Super 1000 quarter-final.
Bansod has had a breakthrough year, winning the Azerbaijan International in February and reaching the semifinals of the US Open BWF Super 300 tournament in June.
India’s badminton contingent will next compete at the Macau Open, which starts on Tuesday.
