Nagoya, Sep 19 (PTI) India’s Quimcy Dsouza could not put it past Indonesian Sumaya despite giving her all in a gruelling three-game Teqball women’s singles semifinal but remained in contention for a bronze medal at the Asian Games here on Saturday.
Dsouza let slip the early advantage to go down 12-7, 9-12, 7-12 in the match.
The Mumbai player, who had previously competed in state-level football and 1,500m running, was introduced to Teqball after watching Brazilian football great Ronaldinho showcase his skills on Instagram.
She took to the sport and has since carved out a place for herself on the Asian stage.
The Bangalore-based techie looked firmly in control after taking the opening game 12-7, using the curved table to good effect and unleashing
a series of sharp diagonal smashes with her feet.
Teqball, with its curved table and football-inspired skills, bears some resemblance to sepak takraw. Both sports prohibit the use of hands and arms, requiring players to control and strike the ball with their feet, legs, head and torso.
Sumaya, 21, drew on her sepak takraw muscle memory to turn the tide. She fought back to take the second game 12-9 and level the contest before producing a decisive burst in the decider.
The Indonesian reeled off nine straight points to pull away from Dsouza, who could not find a response.
For Dsouza, however, the medal dream is still alive. She will now play in the bronze-medal playoff on Sunday. PTI AM PM PM PM PM
