Sudirman Cup 2023, Group C, IND vs TPE blog: Gayatri-Treesa win women’s doubles; India lose tie 1-4

TPE 4-1 IND: The highs and lows of the team event... India could have well started with a win here. Five hard-fought matches for the most part and each one could have gone the other way. They had a match point in the opening mixed doubles match, and who knows. In reality they needed one of the two blockbuster singles ties to go their way and then win both the doubles matches in the end. Wasn’t to be. Sindhu emerges as a positive, as do Treesa and Gayatri.

Not impossible vs MAS but tough now. That tie is at 2.30 pm IST on Monday.

TPE 4-1 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 13-21 Treesa / Gayatri: On their mixed team World Championships debut as a pair, the promising duo of Treesa and Gayatri help India avoid a clean sweep against Chinese Taipei. Super solid after a slow start.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 13-20 Treesa / Gayatri: The Indians have 7 match points for a win on their Sudirman Cup debut.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 12-18 Treesa / Gayatri: Treesa with another roar and the Indians are three points away.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 11-17 Treesa / Gayatri: The Indians have hit a sweet spot with their attacking game play again.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 9-13 Treesa / Gayatri: Terrific aggression at the net from Gayatri, starting with a superb return of serve.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 9-12 Treesa / Gayatri: The gap is closing here. Second wind for the TPE pair.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 7-11 Treesa / Gayatri: Ok, not quite done yet. The TPE pair have come out swinging after the interval.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 5-11 Treesa / Gayatri: Playing with a sense of assurance now, the Indian youngsters.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 3-10 Treesa / Gayatri: Big lead in the decider now!

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21, 3-7 Treesa / Gayatri: Brief recovery from the TPE pair but the Indians have the serve back and stay ahead. After a lovely soft exchange at the net, Treesa with a booming crosscourt winner.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21 0-4 Treesa / Gayatri: Strong start to the decider by the Indians.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 18-21 Treesa / Gayatri: We have another deciding third game in this tie! It’s been close alright. Nice smash from Treesa and it forces the error.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 17-20 Treesa / Gayatri: Now three game points for the Indians.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 16-19 Treesa / Gayatri: Not for the first time, miscommunication between the Indians and they are going for the same shuttle. But they combine brilliantly next point on defence to win a rally.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 13-16 Treesa / Gayatri: Better urgency from the Indians to get to the shuttle early. Back in the lead.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 13-13 Treesa / Gayatri: And the TPE pair are back level with a superb rally. The Indians are suddenly flat again.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 12-13 Treesa / Gayatri: And the gap is closing again. Arun Vishnu asking the players to calm down. Errors in the last few points.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 7-11 Treesa / Gayatri: As it was becoming evident in the 2nd half of the opening game, the Indians started playing much better and it is showing now on the scoreboard. 11-7 in the 2nd game.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15, 1-1 Treesa / Gayatri: Terrific long rally, good patient rotation by the Indians and they take the point. Need more of that.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 21-15 Treesa / Gayatri: That’s the opening game to Lee and Teng on a run of four straight points. A comeback from 2-10 is not going to happen 9 times out of 10, but the Indians can take heart from the fightback. Can they take this to the decider?

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 19-15 Treesa / Gayatri: TPE pair with a couple of calm points.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 17-15 Treesa / Gayatri: That is another fantastic long rally with Treesa dominating from backcourt and Gayatri intercepting well. They switch up and kill the point.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 16-13 Treesa / Gayatri: Incredible defence from Treesa to keep a rally going but the TPE pair take the point.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 15-13 Treesa / Gayatri: Indians win another fantastic rally. Treesa is all pumped... and the gap is down to 2.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 14-10 Treesa / Gayatri: Improvements evident from the Indians but it is a question of whether too little too late in the opening game.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 12-8 Treesa / Gayatri: Incredible rally. There we go. That’s a contest now. A 49-shot exchange and it ends with a superb crosscourt winner by Gayatri, a big roar from Treesa.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 11-4 Treesa / Gayatri: I can’t imagine it is easy to find the intensity with the team down 0-4... but that’s the least energetic I have seen Treesa-Gayatri in a long time. Message from Arun Vishnu seems along those lines only.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 9-2 Treesa / Gayatri: Treesa/Gayatri look out of sorts to start this match.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Teng 7-2 Treesa / Gayatri: The Indian pair are at their best when they are attacking well and the early exchanges are a little bit flat from them. Tough to push when the team is down 0-4 I suppose.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee Chia Hsin / Teng Chun Hsun vs Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand Pullela: Little bit flat, the atmosphere, as this match gets underway.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 21-18 Satwik / Chirag: One more match remaining, can India avoid a clean sweep? Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela face Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia Hsin and Teng Chun Hsun. It’s a match where the Indians will start somewhat as favourites.

TPE 4-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 21-18 Satwik / Chirag: That was perhaps not on the cards. A superb match but a disappointing result for the Indians who needed to at least keep this tie at 2-3 to stand a chance. Looks like the tie and the group top two spot are both slipping away simultaneously.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 20-18 Satwik / Chirag: One match point saved.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 20-17 Satwik / Chirag: Satwik gets a yellow for time wasting.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 20-17 Satwik / Chirag: Soft error at the net from Chirag! He rushed into that, as he tends to sometimes. Match points to TPE.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 19-17 Satwik / Chirag: Super service routine and TPE are on the verge here.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 18-17 Satwik / Chirag: and now the TPE pair are in the lead, precise winner splitting the Indians.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 16-17 Satwik / Chirag: Warning from the umpire to the Indians for time-wasting. They get the serve back with a booming Chirag smash and then back into the lead. What tension.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 15-15 Satwik / Chirag: Wonderful touch from Lee on the service return, net cord helps too. Back level.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 14-15 Satwik / Chirag: Wow, Ye Hong Wei with a blind return almost but the Indians kill the point. And on a run of three points, into the lead.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 14-12 Satwik / Chirag: Sensational rally. Blink and you miss 5 shots. Ye has really stepped up and he gets the serve back for his side. And a push from Chirag goes long next.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 12-12 Satwik / Chirag: Some heat from the Indians now. Chirag with the “maar maar maar” and Satwik responds.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 12-10 Satwik / Chirag: Super point by Ye.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 11-10 Satwik / Chirag: A return error from the Indians and it Lee / Ye who have the lead at the final change of ends. Neither pair pulling away but SatChi don’t look as comfortable as they did in game 2.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 10-10 Satwik / Chirag: This game is on a knife-edge at the moment. Both pairs having their moments.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 7-8 Satwik / Chirag: And Ye / Lee have made it level. Plenty of roaring from the TPE pair. Satwik retakes the serve with a superb service return, not falling for the flick serve there.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 5-6 Satwik / Chirag: A fabulous rally that saw both pairs move each other with superb flat shots. Eventually goes the Indians’ way. But the TPE pair are very much in this still.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21, 3-4 Satwik / Chirag: A moment of argument as the Indians think the shuttle has brushed Ye’s shirt. They get the call from the service judge eventually.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-21 Satwik / Chirag: Felt like a matter of Satwik-Chirag just figuring out this combination in front of them and they have seemed calmer, calculated in rallies. Game 2, India. Still an even battle but one where Indians controlling bit more.

Here’s a look at how the second game unfolded:

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 17-20 Satwik / Chirag: A furious flat exchange won by the Indians and they have game points.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 14-18 Satwik / Chirag: Brief recovery by the TPE pair but SatChi go back up by four.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 12-16 Satwik / Chirag: Brilliant attacking point by the Indians andt he lead continues to build in game 2.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 9-11 Satwik / Chirag: Booming smash from Chirag and the lead at the interval belongs to the Indians. There is a sense of calm in the Indian play now. They are not chasing this, even though the rallies are still close.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 5-8 Satwik / Chirag: Brilliant work in the first three shots by the Indians now and that has seen them take the initiative.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13, 4-4 Satwik / Chirag: Both pairs throwing themselves at every exchange here. Even start to the 2nd game.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 21-13 Satwik / Chirag: Lee Yang, half the Olympic champion pairing, is on fire at the moment. And Ye Hong Wei is proving to be bit of an unknown that is troubling SatChi. Not the best of games for the Indians, need a quick turnaround.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 19-12 Satwik / Chirag: Lee is dominating this match and Ye is chipping in with a flick serve here and there.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 14-9 Satwik / Chirag: There is some serious fire in Lee at the moment. Looking to lead his side to a big win here. Handy lead now.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 11-9 Satwik / Chirag: This is all rather even at the moment, two points is not much of a lead in MD. But the Indians are a bit on the backfoot. Ye Hong a bit of an unknown for them, and the lefty angle is making things difficult.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee / Ye 5-5 Satwik / Chirag: With Wang Chi Lin injured recently, Lee is playing with Ye Hong Wei. A tie India should win but the momentum is on TPE side.

TPE 3-0 IND, Lee Yang / Ye Hong Wei vs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty: Up next, India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty take on Hong Wei Ye and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Yang Lee for the first time ever, in the men’s doubles rubber. The tie might be done but two huge matches coming up for India to stay in contention.

TPE 3-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 21-17 PV Sindhu: That will have to be a positive in the grand scheme of things for Sindhu but in the here and now it means, India have lost this tie. But still two huge matches left to play, to keep themselves alive. India are probably favourites for these two doubles ties left too. They really need to finish this 2-3 to stay in contention.

TPE 3-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 21-17 PV Sindhu: And Tai Tzu Ying prevails in three games. What a match that was. The result will sting at this moment but that is once again a great sign that Sindhu is getting back to her best. Superb fight in games 2 and 3. Just a small change in momentum in the end mattered as TTY pulled out some tricks from 12-14 down.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 20-17 PV Sindhu: One more match point saved, TTY leaves the shuttle and it lands plum on the line.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 20-17 PV Sindhu: One match point saved by Sindhu.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 20-15 PV Sindhu: Under massive pressure, TTY opens her bag of tricks.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 17-14 PV Sindhu: And just like that, TTY is starting to pull ahead. Another magical piece of deception.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 15-14 PV Sindhu: Why Sindhu, why! She takes a shuttle that was going out and then ends up losing the point. Could have been a two-point lead there. Instead after two superb rallies, TTY sneaks back ahead.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 13-14 PV Sindhu: Superb straight smash from Sindhu, and it is a 2-point lead. And then another moment of genius by TTY to get the serve back.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 11-12 PV Sindhu: “You are playing with rhythm Sindhu,” is the message from Vidhi. Two points out of the interval and Sindhu sneaks back ahead.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 11-10 PV Sindhu: A sensational forehand crosscourt winner from Sindhu to make it 10-10. But TTY takes the lead into the final change of ends. What a match this has turned into. A lot of credit to Sindhu but can she find a way to win now?

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 10-9 PV Sindhu: Good smash from Sindhu to make it a 1-point game.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 9-6 PV Sindhu: Genius racket-head change from TTY and a great view of it from the net. She is pulling out all the tricks now.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 5-6 PV Sindhu: Good little run Sindhu. Into the lead.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 5-3 PV Sindhu: Expect TTY to come hard here in the early stage... Sindhu needs a good start. I don’t think sides are playing a big role here. But can’t afford to give TTY a big lead.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-21 PV Sindhu: DECIDER TIME. There was a little help from TTY for sure but Sindhu got the rewards for increasing the pace, especially post interval. For the third straight meeting, PVS vs TTY will be decided in three games. “No jaldbaazi, have patience, be ready at the net,” is the message to Sindhu at the interval.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 18-20 PV Sindhu: There’s another two game points saved. TTY is on the charge. Sindhu needs to slow this down.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 16-20 PV Sindhu: There’s a handful of game points for Sindhu after another up-tempo rally. TTY saves one, saves two.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 14-19 PV Sindhu: Terrific rally for TTY to make it 13-17 but soon enough Sindhu goes up 19-14. Her pace sis troubling TTY here.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 11-16 PV Sindhu: TTY finally arrests the run of points for Sindhu at 7.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 10-15 PV Sindhu: Sindhu keeping the pressure on Tai. She is a good front-runner... she needs this.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 10-11 PV Sindhu: Some magic moments from TTY but also errors, Sindhu sneaks ahead 11-10 into the interval.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 9-9 PV Sindhu: Some fabulous rallies here. First Sindhu wins a superb point on defence and then TTY wins a lovely exchange with a flurry of attacking shots.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 6-6 PV Sindhu: That wand is here. Magical backhand from TTY to convert a position of pressure to a winner. Just like that, all level.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14, 5-1 PV Sindhu: A good start to game 2 for Sindhu.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 21-14 PV Sindhu: As good as TTY is, Sindhu must surely find a way to stay in points longer. She will give you a window every now and then, can the Indian be ready? Feels a long away now.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 20-13 PV Sindhu: A brief good phase for Sindhu as she tries to hit through TTY but the magician has game points galore now.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 17-8 PV Sindhu: All a bit flat from Sindhu.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 14-6 PV Sindhu: The point goes to TTY but that is a fine rally by Sindhu. Needs more of that, needs to keep TTY engaged. Make her play the extra shuttle.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 11-5 PV Sindhu: As good as TTY is, Sindhu must know here that she can pick up points in a row too if the TPE legend has one of her wayward spells.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying 8-4 PV Sindhu: Already some magic on display from TTY.

TPE 2-0 IND, Tai Tzu Ying vs PV Sindhu: Well, this was always going to be the highlight of today. And now it is a massive clash for India.

TPE 2-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 21-15 HS Prannoy: Some late fight from Prannoy but that first game hurt him more than the 2nd, he needed the lead in this match against CTC. Chou, and Victoria of course, his physio and philosopher and friend, are pumped and Taipei lead 2-0.

No one said it was going to be easy but boy is it tough now.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 20-15 HS Prannoy: A bit too late? Dare we hope?

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 20-14 HS Prannoy: Prannoy keeping this going for a while longer.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 20-12 HS Prannoy: One match saved but plenty left for CTC. Chou is on the floor there but is alright.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 19-11 HS Prannoy: Prannoy with some fight here in the end.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 17-9 HS Prannoy: Prannoy needed that opening game.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 16-9 HS Prannoy: Prannoy is missing the lines frequently. And this seems to be ending quickly.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 12-8 HS Prannoy: A much-needed body smash from HSP.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 11-6 HS Prannoy: And this looks like a tough one to turn around for Prannoy here.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 10-6 HS Prannoy: Another four-point lead for CTC, a superb net cord-assisted net shot.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 8-6 HS Prannoy: As CTC pushes ahead, HSP pulls back. Some brutal rallies here.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 6-4 HS Prannoy: A quick recovery from Prannoy.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 6-2 HS Prannoy: Prannoy has lost his footing in the match here. Looking a yard behind CTC’s pace. Gurusaidutt trying to gee him up. And he gets the serve back with a nice reflex winner.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 21-19 HS Prannoy: That roar from Chou Tien Chen was something else. There is an edge when these two meet and it is another sensational game. Prannoy saves 2 game points but CTC converts the third. Huge game coming up. Prannoy will need to start well, it will rankle him that he led for half of that game and didn’t convert.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 20-19 HS Prannoy: Three game points for CTC and one saved. Make that two. Superb point by HSP despite a great retrieve by CTC.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 19-17 HS Prannoy: As CTC goes up by 2, Prannoy gets the serve back with an aggressive point, killing it with the backhand at net. But CTC returns the favour.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 17-16 HS Prannoy: Another fabulous rally! And this lengthy exchange results in a lift going long from Prannoy. A bit of a tactical review there to catch his breath.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 16-16 HS Prannoy: After a tight net exchange, Prannoy sends the shuttle wide. CTC sneaks ahead and it draws a big reaction from Prannoy next point as he levels it.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 15-15 HS Prannoy: Stunning forehand defence from a diving CTC and it is all level now!

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 11-14 HS Prannoy: Solid backhand winner from Prannoy who is managing to stay ahead. A superb rally follows and the Indian takes it with a nice straight smash. Best point of the match so far.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 11-12 HS Prannoy: Such a good match-up this. Two evenly matched players technically. And both have hit the ground running.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 8-11 HS Prannoy: A fine crosscourt winner from Prannoy and he takes a handy lead into the interval.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 5-6 HS Prannoy: And on a run of four straight points, Prannoy into the lead. There is always an edge between these two. And it is evident already in the early exchanges.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen 5-2 HS Prannoy: After a few tight rallies, CTC pulling away here as Prannoy misses the lines.

TPE 1-0 IND, Chou Tien Chen vs HS Prannoy: Time for the world No 5 vs world No 9. A top-10 clash that is going to go a long way in deciding this group. CTC leads the H2H 5-3 but Prannoy has won two of the last three.

Right then, time for a huge men’s singles match. Given Sindhu will start as the underdog massively against TTY, this is a must-win now.

IND 0-1 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 21-6 Sai / Tanisha: That’s a bit harsh on the Indians, the scoreline. A really close battle for most part but the world No 30 pair prevail when it went to the distance.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 17-6 Sai / Tanisha: Tired minds and bodies on the Indian side. Maybe I am thinking too far ahead but the game that the Indians have won could be important too in this group, who knows. But this match is all but and done for now.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 12-6 Sai / Tanisha: Some fight here post interval.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 11-3 Sai / Tanisha: Serious challenge already, just became an uphill task for the Indians. Huge lead for the TPE pair at the start of the decider.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 9-3 Sai / Tanisha: Somewhat of a recovery here for the Indians.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24, 6-0 Sai / Tanisha: Well, this was the problem. A superb start to the decider for the TPE pair who now have all the momentum.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 26-24 Sai / Tanisha: What a trip that was. The second game was a titanic battle and the Indians had one chance to clinch the match. Eventually the TPE pair take it 26-24. Important to recover from that quickly. Sai / Tanisha are playing well.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 25-24 Sai / Tanisha: Has that flick serve landed in? No. Another game point for TPE.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 24-24 Sai / Tanisha: Oh, behind-the-back by Sai. But not enough to win the point. And Tanisha saves another game point with great net play!

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 23-23 Sai / Tanisha: Lovely work by Tanisha again. Another game point saved!

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 22-22 Sai / Tanisha: Little bit of luck with the net cord and TPE have another game point. Hu really good here. Tanisha saves it with a superb placement.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 21-21 Sai / Tanisha: Super rally and a match point for the Indians! It is saved by Hu with a reflex winner.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 20-20 Sai / Tanisha: Four game points saved!

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 20-19 Sai / Tanisha: There’s four game points for TPE but the Indians have saved two. Make that three!

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 19-16 Sai / Tanisha: That’s a good little phase for the Indians.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 16-11 Sai / Tanisha: The energy seems to have gone out of the Indians here.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 14-10 Sai / Tanisha: TPE pair definitely on the charge here. A decider looming.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 13-10 Sai / Tanisha: Tanisha misses an interception at the net, that she really should have put away.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 11-10 Sai / Tanisha: The TPE pair are in the lead at the interval.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 10-10 Sai / Tanisha: Super rally from the Indians and the pressure pays eventually. Longest rally of the match so far at 28 shots.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 9-9 Sai / Tanisha: Should be good to go, Crasto. More tapes being added to her right leg.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 9-9 Sai / Tanisha: Some attention on Crasto’s leg as she is bleeding. Hopefully nothing serious, as that leg is also strapped up.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 9-9 Sai / Tanisha: Soft service errors from the Indians, on the last two times they have had the serve. A superb winner from Crasto to get the serve back again. And we are back level after a fine rally.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 7-4 Sai / Tanisha: Sai with a good point from the backcourt but Tanisha’s interception falls short. The TPE pair are starting to control rallies.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 6-3 Sai / Tanisha: Signs of the TPE pair setting their foot down here. They are getting to the shuttles much earlier.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21, 3-3 Sai / Tanisha: Given how game 1 ended, it was important to show the nerves weren’t affecting them still, and the Indians have started steadily.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-21 Sai / Tanisha: Game 1, India. Well, they took the scenic route to get there but a good service return from Sai gives the Indians the lead. “Fresh start, start aggressive,” is the message from Arun Vishnu. The finish to the first game will have given the TPE pair a big boost.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 18-20 Sai / Tanisha: Six game points saved by TPE. Wow.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 16-20 Sai / Tanisha: Edging to nervous territory here. Four game points saved.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 15-20 Sai / Tanisha: Eight game points for the Indians but three have come and gone. Message of calm from the bench,

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 9-16 Sai / Tanisha: A start and a half this!

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 5-11 Sai / Tanisha: A series of good plays by Tanisha and errors by the TPE pair. A brilliant half of the game for the Indians.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang / Hu 5-5 Sai / Tanisha: A good start for the Indians who are pumped up early on to go up 3-0 but the TPE pair have found their footing. The Indians certainly not overawed to start.

IND 0-0 TPE, Yang Po-hsuan / Hu Ling Fang vs K Sai Pratheek / Tanisha Crasto: Here we go then. Mixed doubles to start things off. And India have not gone with any surprises here. Sai and Tanisha were picked, Sai and Tanisha are playing. Against them is the world No 30 pair from TPE.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Indian badminton and it is time to kick off the 2023 edition of World Team Championships: The Sudirman Cup Finals.

It’s time for some team badminton, folks. Sudirman Cup 2023 finals is here and it starts off with a crucial clash in Group C (dubbed Group of Death) as India take on Chinese Taipei in Suzhou.

The Sudirman Cup is the BWF World Mixed Team Championships which takes place every two years. Like the Thomas Cup for men’s team and Uber Cup for women’s team, this is the pinnacle for testing all-round strength in mixed team events. There are five matches in every tie: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.

India were drawn with Malaysia and Chinese Taipei in Group C. The fourth team in India’s group is Australia.

Here’s the lineup of matches for IND vs TPE:

Group A: China, Denmark, Singapore, Egypt

Group B: Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, Canada 

Group C: Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, India, Australia 

Group D: Japan, Korea, France, England  

Screenshots in the blog via BWF TV / Tournament Software / Viacom18