Zoe Lorenzin for Commonwealth Games Australia
The Australian Falcons have fought valiantly against highly experienced squads but have seen the squad’s mixed team event come to an end.
It was a mixed bag of results for the Australian Badminton Team on Day 2 of the competition, defeating Pakistan in the morning before succumbing to a ruthless India later in the evening.
Kicking off the morning action on the show court, the Mixed Doubles pair of Jack Yu and Kaitlin Ea were quick to secure the first win of the day, defeating their Pakistan counterparts Murad Ali and Ghazala Siddique 2 – 0.
“It felt really big but seeing all the people made it exciting… I was a bit nervous as well,” said Ea.
“It is a good practice for our individual campaign next week.”
Jacob Schueler fell 0 – 2 to Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti in the Men’s Singles competition, while Tiffany Ho’s tenacity wasn’t quite enough to see her over the line against Mahoor Shahzad, succumbing 0 – 2.
It was the vibrant and dynamic energy of Tran Hoang Pham and Yu, partnered together in the Men’s Doubles, that changed the tide for the Aussies, netting a decisive 2 – 0 victory over Ali and Bhatti.
“I’m feeling more comfortable in this environment, I quite like playing on such a big stage and I like the applause going on around me,” said Yu.
Ea and Angela Yu, who finished off the round in the Women’s Doubles, wasted little time in locking in the win for Australia, dominating the court with their presence and handily defeating Shahzad and Siddique, 2 – 0.
However, Australia’s Mixed Team campaign came to an end this evening as they fell to the defending champions and top seeds, India, in the final Group A match.
Round 3 saw India set the tone early with a decisive win in the Men’s Singles, Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi defeating Ying Xiang Lin 2 – 0 while Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi also defeated Ying Xiang Lin 2 – 0.
India continued to control the game heading into the double’s events, as they claimed both the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles 2- 0 each.
Australia’s sole victory for the night came in the Women’s Doubles, seeing Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen and Gronya Somerville secure a 2 – 0 win over Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela.
Overall, the team’s results of one win and two losses (to Sri Lanka and India) leaves Australia in third position of Group A, unable to qualify for the knockout rounds.
All ten players from the Australian team will return to action from Wednesday 3 August as the individual events get underway.
Mixed Team – Round 2 Results
Australia v Pakistan
Mixed Doubles
Jack Yu & Kaitlin Ea v Murad Ali & Ghazala Siddique
2 – 0 (21 – 17; 21 – 17)
Men’s Singles
Jacob Schueler v Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti
0 – 2 (18 – 21; 16 – 21)
Women’s Singles
Tiffany Ho v Mahoor Shahzad
0 – 2 (18 – 21; 19 – 21)
Men’s Doubles
Tran Hoang Pham & Jack Yu v Murad Ali & Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti
2 – 0 (21 – 11; 21 – 19)
Women’s Doubles
Kaitlin Ea & Angela Yu v Mahoor Shahzad & Ghazala Siddique
2 – 0 (21 – 11; 21 – 6)
Mixed Team – Round 3 Results
India v Australia
rMen’s Singles
Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi v Ying Xiang Lin
2 – 0 (21 – 14; 21 – 13)
Women’s Singles
Venkata Sindhu Pusarla v Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen
2 – 0 (21 – 10; 21 – 12)
Men’s Doubles
B.sumeeth Reddy & Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty v Tran Hoang Pham & Jack Yu
2 – 0 (21 – 16; 21 – 19)
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand Pullela v Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen / Gronya Somerville
0 – 2 (13 – 12; 19 – 21)
Mixed Doubles
B.sumeeth Reddy & Machimanda Ponnappa v Ying Xiang Lin & Gronya Somerville
2 – 0 (21 – 14; 21 – 11)