Qingdao conson gymnasium

Badminton Asia Team Championship: Defending champions India women began their Badminton Asia Team Championship campaign in commanding fashion, registering a dominant 5-0 victory over Myanmar in their Group Y opener at the Qingdao Conson Gymnasium on Wednesday.

The Indian team suffered a big blow before the start of the tournament as two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, played a major part in Team India's triumph in 2024, withdrew from competition due to a niggle.

After Sindhu's exit, all the focus was on 17-year-old prodigy Tanvi Sharma, who was part of India's title-winning squad in 2024, and she did not let down. Tanvi won the first match comfortably. It took her just 32 minutes to beat Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzur 21-13, 21-16 in the opening match.