Quimcy Dsouza goes down fighting in Asiad teqball bronze medal match

Indian teqball sensation Quimcy Dsouza delivered a stunning performance at the Asian Games before narrowly missing out on a bronze medal after a valiant fight against Japan's Yuina Sakamoto in a thrilling 0-2 defeat.

India's Quimcy Dsouza's spirited campaign endured a heartbreaking double setback at the Asian Games, in Nagoya, on Sunday. She narrowly missed out on a women's singles bronze before returning minutes later and going down in the mixed doubles bronze medal match alongside Mohamed Anas Beg.

The Mumbai girl pushed Japanese world No. 7 Yuina Sakamoto all the way in the singles bronze-medal contest before losing 0-2 (11-12 11-12). Then the physical toll of the intense battle caught up with her in the mixed doubles and the Indian pair lost to Vietnam's Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Ngih Trinh 0-2 (9-12 6-12).

Playing in front of a partisan crowd, the Japanese world No. 7 may have won in straight sets but the scoreline doesn't actually show the fight that the Mumbai girl produced before losing 11-12, 11-12.

The Mumbai girl had set point in the first game and took a 10-8 lead in the second as she looked to draw level. She even came back from a match-point down to serve a winner, but only to commit a foul and lose the match.

There was barely any time for Quimcy to recover as moments after she was back on court alongside Anas for their mixed doubles bronze-medal clash against the Vietnamese pair.

Trailing 5-9 in the second game, the physical toll of playing two intense matches in little over an hour began to show. Quimcy grimaced in pain as her lower back was massaged before she took a 10-minute medical time-out.

She returned with a strapped waist but could not sustain the momentum. The Indian duo eventually went down 0-2 (9-12, 6-12).

Earlier, Dsouza lost in the semi-finals on Saturday. She topped Group A after securing wins over opponents from Japan and Cambodia.

In the semi-finals, she was pitted against Indonesia's Sumaya, and lost 1-2. The Indian sealed the first set 12-7, following which the Indonesian won back-to-back games 9-12, 7-12.

The first player to reach 12 points wins a set. In the first two sets, a player can win by a single point, while if the match goes to a deciding third set, the winner must secure a two-point margin to seal the issue.

Understanding Teqball: A New Asian Games Sport

Teqball is a non-contact sport that combines a bit of football and table tennis, played by hitting a standard football back and forth over a specially curved TT-like table. Players use any part of their body except their hands and arms, with a maximum of three touches allowed per side to return the ball. The sport made its debut at the 20th edition of the continental showpiece.

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