New Delhi, August 29(HS):

India’s historic bid for its first-ever mixed doubles medal at the BWF World Championships ended on Friday as the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out in the quarterfinals in Paris. The Indian duo, striving to clinch a maiden podium finish for the country, were defeated in 37 minutes by the formidable Malaysian pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, ranked fourth in the world, with scores of 15-21, 13-21. The Malaysian pair secured their semifinal berth, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.

Dhruv and Tanisha had earlier stormed into the quarterfinals by defeating the world’s fifth-ranked tandem from Hong Kong, Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, with a thrilling 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 victory. However, the Indian duo, ranked seventeenth, could not replicate their resilient form against the dominant Malaysian opponents.

In other Indian action, PV Sindhu is set to face Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in the women’s singles event, while the men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will clash with Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in their quarterfinal showdown.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar