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India's sensational run in men's volleyball came to an end after they were defeated by Japan in the quarter-finals on Sunday at the Asian Games in China's Hangzhou.
Japan won the tie by winning straight three games by 25-16, 25-18 and 25-17 to secure their spot in the semi-finals. Japan proved to be a much higher challenge for the Indians as they established their dominance with a 10-6 lead in the opening set. Japan who are ranked No. 1 in Asia showed their command and prowess by stretching their lead to 15-8. They went on to dominate the Indian team who were riding high on confidence on the back of their successful triumph against the Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei. Japan closed the first game with a 25-16 victory. The second game was a similar story for India, they tried hard to not let Japan run away with the second set. But Japan rose their game to seal the second straight game in their favour with a 25-18 victory. India were stuck in a do-or-die situation and had to seal off a victory in the third game to keep their hopes alive. They did well to match Japan's intensity as the score read 10-all. Japan shifted through gears and won three straight points to establish themselves in the pole position. India took a timeout with hopes of breaking Japan's rhythm and changing the course of the game. But Japan extended their lead to five points at 19-14 and eventually went on to claim the entire match with a 3-0 victory. Following this defeat the Indian men's team's hope of walking away with a medal ended on a slightly bitter note. (ANI)
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