HS Prannoy fought valiantly, but India succumbed to a 0-3 defeat against a second-string Japan in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, ending their campaign on a disappointing note in Qingdao, China, on Friday.
India, the 2023 bronze medalists in Dubai, struggled to find their rhythm, and trailed 0-1 after going down in the mixed doubles.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, ranked 37th in the world, showed resilience before going down 13-21, 21-17, 13-21 to world number 12 Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
With PV Sindhu sidelined due to a hamstring injury, India faced an uphill task against Tomoka Miyazaki, who has quickly risen to world number 8 following her triumph at the 2022 World Junior Championships.
World number 31 Malvika Bansod, stepping in for Sindhu, put up a brave fight, especially in the second game, but struggled to match the control and consistency of her younger opponent and lost 12-21, 19-21, leaving India 0-2 behind.
Miyazaki, leading the new-look Japanese team, was sharp and precise, quickly surging to an 11-3 lead after Malvika hit long.
Despite some good net play from the left-handed Indian, Miyazaki's cross-court drops and winners kept Malvika on the back foot.
Malvika narrowed the gap to 12-19, capitalising on unforced errors from Miyazaki.
However, two mistakes from the Indian allowed the Japanese to take the first game.
The second game was more competitive as Malvika took a 5-3 lead, engaging in tight rallies. She managed a slim 11-10 advantage after Miyazaki went long.
Malvika stayed sharp, not allowing her opponent to play her usual drops freely, moving to 17-15.
But Miyazaki fought back, taking the lead at 18-17 after Malvika went wide.
Miyazaki earned two game points, and despite Malvika saving one, a miscue handed the game to the Japanese, leaving India 0-2 down in the tie.
It all came down to Prannoy to keep India alive, but despite a determined effort, the 32-year-old, returning after a long break and struggling with early-season form, couldn't sustain the pressure against world number 16 Kenta Nishimoto.
The Japanese star sealed the rubber with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-12 victory in 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Prannoy fell behind 4-7 as Nishimoto dominated with angled returns.
The Indian clawed back to 8-8 after Nishimoto made a few errors, but two unforced mistakes gave the Japanese a three-point cushion at the break.
Prannoy kept up the pressure, reducing the gap to 12-13 with a couple of jump smashes.
However, there was little net play, and Nishimoto surged ahead 17-12, winning four straight points.
Prannoy handed Nishimoto six game points with a net error, and another mistake sealed the first game for Japan.
The second game was intense, with Prannoy and Nishimoto tied at 6-6.
Two powerful cross-court smashes from Prannoy leveled the score at 7-7, followed by a huge roar and a fist pump.
However, a subsequent smash led to a warning from the umpire, asking Prannoy not to celebrate in such a manner.
Prannoy moved to 10-9 after a brilliant net block, and took a one-point lead into the break.
A cross-court return left Prannoy flat on the floor, and Nishimoto moved to 14-12.
However, the Indian erased the deficit to lead 16-15 after winning a lengthy rally.
He then earned five game points after Nishimoto sent a shot wide, converting the first to roar back into the contest.
In the decider, Nishimoto controlled the pace to take a 6-0 early lead.
At 2-8, a shot was called out by the umpire, much to Prannoy's frustration as the Japanese grabbed a huge 11-3 lead at the interval.
The Indian fought back, drawing out errors from Nishimoto to move to 12-15 but unforced errors crept up again as a cross court forehand went to net and another net error followed.
Soon he found himself facing an eight-point deficit.
Nishimoto sealed the match after Prannoy went wide again, securing the victory for Japan.
It's a demoralising loss for especially considering Japan did not field their full-strength team, with several top players absent.
Japan were the inaugural edition champions in 2017 and were runners-up in 2019.