PANAJI
China underlined its dominance at the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship by reaching the finals of all three major categories — Men, Women and Mixed — while India's Senior ‘B’ team kept the host nation's title hopes alive by storming into the final after a thrilling victory over Japan on the penultimate day of the competition at the Taj Cidade de Goa on Friday.
China has already assured itself of both gold and silver medals in the Mixed event, with the final set to be an all-Chinese affair on Saturday.
The other finalists are Hong Kong China ‘A’ in the Men’s section, Indonesia in the Women’s category and Australia in the Seniors event.
India is guaranteed at least a silver medal through its Senior ‘B’ team and remains in contention for bronze medals in the Men’s and Women’s sections through the third-place play-offs. The Indian Men’s team will face Bangladesh, while the Women’s team will take on Japan.
In the Seniors semi-final, India ‘B’ staged a remarkable comeback to edge past Japan by just two International Match Points (IMPs). The hosts struggled in the opening round, managing only 22 IMPs against Japan’s 66. However, they fought back strongly in the second round, scoring 41 IMPs to Japan’s 24 and significantly reducing the deficit.
Buoyed by their resurgence, the Indians produced another spirited display in the third and final round, collecting 56 IMPs while restricting Japan to 39. Their determined effort saw them clinch a narrow overall victory and secure a place in the final.
India ‘B’ will now face Australia, who cruised into the title clash with a commanding 170-67 IMP victory over Bangladesh, leading in all three rounds of their semi-final.
India's campaign in the Men’s and Women’s sections ended in the semi-finals. Hong Kong China ‘A’ defeated India ‘A’ 129-80.67 IMPs in the Men’s category, while Indonesia outclassed India ‘A’ 159-77.33 IMPs in the Women’s semi-final.
