Ayhika, Sreeja stun World No 1 and 2 but India go down to China

In the third rubber, Sreeja Akula reclaimed the lead for India as she sent blistering forehands and mind-boggling backhand tempo changes to clean up World No.2 Wang Yidi 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 13-11).

"I was really happy beating Wang Yidi. We got the team spirit and the players, who were sitting on the bench supported so we were so motivated," said Sreeja after the match.

However, the reigning Olympic champions, China won the final two matches to clinch the tie. Sun Yingsha stepped out to steady the ship with a tough four-game 3-1 (11-3, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9) win over Manika. With the scores levelled 2-2, Wang Manyu then closed out the match by defeating Ayhika 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-6) to wrap up the tie.