Defending champion India will face stern challenges in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Qingdao, China, with the women’s team set to take on China and the men drawn against Korea on Thursday.

The Indian men booked their place in the last eight with a match to spare in the group stage and opted to rest key players Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth in their final Group C tie against Japan. Despite the absence of the two senior shuttlers, India put up a strong fight before going down 2-3, finishing second in the group. The women’s team also suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat, losing to Thailand.

In the men’s contest against Japan, India made a promising start through Ayush Shetty, the former world junior bronze medalist. Facing Kenta Nishimoto in the opening singles, Ayush held his nerve to claim a 21-18, 15-21, 21-11 victory, dominating the decider to give India the early edge. The advantage was extended by the experienced men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who defeated Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-18, 15-21, 21-12.

However, the tie turned in Japan’s favour after HS Prannoy lost his singles match in straight games to Yushi Tanaka. Japan went on to clinch the second men’s doubles and the third singles, sealing the group’s top spot.

Earlier, the Indian women showed early promise despite the absence of former world champion PV Sindhu. Teenager Tanvi Sharma impressed in the opening singles, overcoming world number 16 Busanan in a gritty 21-14, 17-21, 21-18 win. The doubles combination of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand then powered India to a 2-0 lead.

But Thailand staged a comeback as Rakshitha Sree and Malvika Bansod lost their singles, and the scratch pairing of Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra went down in the deciding doubles.

With knockout ties looming, India will now look to regroup quickly as both teams prepare for high-pressure quarterfinal encounters against two of Asia’s strongest badminton nations.