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Indias Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg defeated the Philippines Abulencia Jhoana and Agustin Prince 20 in the Teqball mixed doubles repechage to qualify for the bronze medal match at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday. The Indian duo will now continue their bid for a podium finish on Sunday.
The Dsouza-Beg duo won the first set of the repechage 123 and then won the second set 126 to secure a straight-set victory. Earlier, Dsouza and Beg lost to Vietnams Gian Nghi Trinh and Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen in the mixed doubles quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games. The Indian pair were beaten 0-2 in straight sets after struggling to find their rhythm in the opening set, as they were defeated 12-7. They showed greater resistance in the second but could not force a deciding game as the Vietnamese pair won the second set 12-10. The defeat ended their run in the main championship bracket and rules them out of the gold and silver medal matches. Dsouza and Imran Beg advanced to the quarter-finals after enduring a challenging preliminary round-robin campaign, recording two victories and two defeats across their four group matches. Their quarter-finals qualification was sealed with a commanding win over Kuwait in their final group fixture. Dsouza and Beg began their campaign strongly, defeating the Philippines Abuencia Jhoana and Agustin Prince 20. The straight-sets victory gave the Indian pair an ideal start to their Group A campaign. Their second match proved considerably more competitive. Against Cambodias Bun Thuonvireak and Yorn Sophornraksmy, India suffered a narrow 12 defeat following a closely fought three-set contest. The difficulties continued in the third group fixture, where the Indian duo were beaten 02 by Thailands Dejaroen Phakpong and Wongkhamchan Suphawadi. With qualification at stake in their final group encounter, Dsouza and Beg responded emphatically against Kuwaits Alebraheem Salman and Alfailakawi Hessah. India controlled the match from the outset, racing to a 121 victory in the opening set before completing a 20 win with a 126 second-set result. The victory took the Indian pair to a 22 record and earned them a place in the quarter-final knockout stage, where they lost to Vietnam. Notably, Dsouza will also compete in the womens singles event. She topped Group A after securing wins over opponents from Japan and Cambodia and will face Indonesias Sumaya in the semi-final on Saturday. (ANI)
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