The Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa crashed out of the Rio Olympics after going down fighting in their badminton doubles match on Friday. The duo lost to Netherlands' Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in three sets. Gutta and Ponappa were outclassed in all aspects of the game, with Gutta’s fitness raising some questions.
In the first set, the Indians had taken a 7-4 lead, after which their opponents upped the ante to win 21-16. The Indian pair staged a fighting comeback in the second to win the set 21-16. The third set was a closely fought affair, but a drop in intensity by India towards the end gave the Dutch the upper hand, and they bagged the set 21-17.
In their first encounter on Thursday, the duo lost 21-15, 21-10 to the World No 1 team from Japan, Matsutomo Misaki and Takahashi Ayaka.
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