TOKYO: Indian mixed team of Palak Kohli and Pramod Bhagat lost to the French duo of Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel by 2-1 at Yoyogi National Stadium -- Court 3 in the doubles SL3-SU5 on Wednesday.
The world number two pair of Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel edged the Indian duo in three sets by 21-9, 15-21, 21-19 in the Group Play Stage -- Group B match. The match lasted for 43 minutes.
The French second seeds dominated the matchup from the word go as they raced into an 11-4 lead in the opening game. The Indian pair showed some resistance but it was futile as Lucas and Faustine comfortably took the opening set 21-9 in 11 minutes.
The players from France tried to carry the momentum in the second set too but the Indian pair showed excellent grit and determination to create a terrific turnaround. They clinched the second set 21-15 in 12 minutes to force the decider.
The third set was anything but one-sided as the Indian pair was right there with the French team on every step. The second-seed duo was leading 14-11 in the decider but Palak-Pramod again showed their grit as they gained the lead by 15-14. Lucas and Faustine soon clawed back in the match as they gained an advantage of two match points at 18-20. Indians were able to save one match point before losing the third set and match in an absolute thriller.