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Paris Olympics 2024 Badminton: Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa fall short in second group-stage match

In their second group-stage match at the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian women's doubles badminton pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa faced a challenging contest against Japan’s fourth-seeded duo, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. Despite a valiant effort, Crasto and Ponnappa succumbed to an 11-21, 12-21 defeat.

The match began with the Japanese pair establishing dominance early on, racing to a 6-0 lead. By the mid-game interval, Matsuyama and Shida had extended their advantage to 11-3.

Although the Indians mounted a spirited comeback in the second half, playing more positively with a lot more attacking strokes, the Japanese duo proved too strong. Despite managing a few points towards the end, the game concluded 11-21 in favor of Matsuyama and Shida.

The second game began on a better note for Crasto and Ponnappa and saw some intense rallies, but the Japanese pair quickly overpowered them, accelerating to a 5-1 lead. Matsuyama and Shida's streak extended to seven consecutive points, bringing the score to 11-2 at the interval.

Similar to the first game, the Indian duo staged a comeback in the second half, converting openings into points to narrow the gap to 5-11 and even 8-13. Despite good smashes and superb net play from Crasto, the Japanese pair continued to dominate, making it difficult for the Indians to sustain their momentum and bridge the gap.

Tanisha Crasto experienced some trouble with her finger and required the tournament doctor's assistance twice to bandage it up.

The second-last rally of the match saw Tanisha Crasto execute some brilliant shots and a dive to win the point. However, the Japanese duo wrapped up the match on the next point, securing the game 21-12 to seal their victory. Moments of brilliance from Crasto and Ponnappa were evident throughout the match, but they were insufficient to really trouble the Japanese duo.

With this defeat, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa now sit third in their group. They will face Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu in their final group-stage match on July 30 at 6:20 PM IST.

Lakshya Sen in action later today at the Paris Olympics 2024

Later today, India's men's singles badminton player, Lakshya Sen, will face Germany's Julien Carraggi in his group-stage match at 5:30 PM IST. Sen defeated Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in his opening match at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, Cordon's subsequent withdrawal from the tournament due to injury has left the points Sen earned from that match void.

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