“The main problem was our defense” - Priya-Shruti after losing to World No.1 pair Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan in Uber Cup 2024
National champions Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra couldn’t create any impact over World No.1 doubles pair Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan, losing by 13-21,12-21 to extend their poor run over China in the ongoing Uber Cup 2024.
However, the Indian pair of Priya-Shruti was happy with their hard-fought performance against the dominating Chinese pair. With the win in this doubles event, China took a 2-0 lead over the Indian side.
Furthermore, they stressed the two-paced court, which played an important role in the encounter. They added that they would need to work on their defense as it turned out to be challenging.
“We are happy with our performance, but we’re not satisfied. We have a long way to go ahead. The court was really fast. The drift was there. They are senior players. They have more experience than us. However, we fought really well. The main problem was our defense and it was the challenging part,” Priya-Shruti told reporters after their contest.
“We were fully excited to play against them. The crowd was amazing. It didn't matter they were cheering for them. We were also getting motivated by them,” Priya-Shruti added.
“Playing against this pair was really hard” - Priya-Shruti
Later, they emphasized the importance of playing against the senior pair. Moreover, they talked about the No. 1 duo’s gameplay and strategies, which will help the Indian pair gain a good experience moving into their next few games in the campaign.
“The previous matches were comparatively easy. Playing against this pair was really hard. We learned a lot of things like how to make strategies and how not to lose points and hope during the match. We have a lot of good experiences and things to learn,” they went on to add.
Team India suffered their first defeat in the Uber Cup 2024 against China by 0-5. Currently, China and India are occupying the top two positions with three and two points respectively in Group A.
Both China and India have secured their spots for the quarter-final. On Saturday, India stunned Canada by 4-1 to take the second spot in Group A standings. On Sunday, they dominated Singapore by 4-1 to strengthen their second position.