20 August,2026 05:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto (Pic: ANI)
India's mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited the BWF World Championships 2026 following a straight-game loss to Chinese duo Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui in the pre-quarterfinals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
The Indian duo lost 16-21, 5-21 to their opponents, ending their run at the home tournament. Unforced errors from Kapila and Crasto allowed the Chinese pair to take control, limiting the Indian side to just five points in the final game.
Reflecting on the loss, Tanisha Crasto expressed disappointment over their performance in front of the home crowd.
"We're very, equally disappointed that we couldn't put up the best show, especially here on the home ground. It was a good fight in the first set, but somehow we didn't have any control in the second set, and I think they took advantage of that and they played really well in the second set. But we take full responsibility for that; we didn't play up to the mark today, and we hope that we could have done a better performance today," she said.
Tanisha further added that unforced errors prevented them from slowing down their opponents' momentum.
"We started giving really easy points from our hand, very simple errors, and that kept building up. I think we couldn't break the rhythm and it kept building up, and eventually the lead went off quite big. I mean, we did try to cover up, but we weren't able to do that," said Tanisha.
Dhruv Kapila took responsibility for his errors during the second game, acknowledging that the mistakes hindered their tactical execution.
"I think the plan was pretty simple, but in the second game, I think it's my mistake. I should have done better there. But eventually, I started making a lot of errors, and they took a lead, and then when you're under pressure, especially me, because I think it was me who was just making very easy mistakes, and then there's no plan if you keep making easy mistakes. Then even the coach, whatever he says, it won't work. So yeah, I should have done a bit better," said Dhruv.
