Asian Games: Quimcy Dsouza falls short in Teqball semifinal, to play for bronze

Nagoya: India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza’s impressive Teqball campaign at the Asian Games 2026 came to a halt in the women’s singles semifinal as she went down 1-2 to Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center here on Saturday.

Making her Asian Games debut, the 24-year-old Indian made a confident start and comfortably pocketed the opening set 12-7. Sumaya, however, responded strongly in the second set, overcoming an early deficit to edge ahead and eventually close it out 12-9, taking the contest into a decider.

Quimcy began the third set on the front foot and established a 3-0 lead before extending it to 4-1. But Sumaya produced a strong turnaround, taking control of the decider and winning it 12-7 to book her place in the final.

The defeat means Quimcy will now compete in the bronze medal match on Sunday against World No 7 Yuina Sakamoto. A victory there would earn India its first-ever Teqball medal at the Asian Games.

Quimcy had earlier booked her place in the semifinals after topping Group A with two wins in her debut appearance at the continental showpiece.

She began her campaign by pulling off an impressive 2-1 victory over top-seeded Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto. Quimcy lost the opening set 10-12 but fought back to win the second 12-11 before clinching the deciding set 13-11.

The Indian then carried that momentum into her second group match, defeating Cambodia’s Koemyean DY 12-9, 12-7 in straight sets. The result saw her finish atop Group A and earn a direct passage to the semifinals, avoiding the quarterfinals.

Quimcy also featured in the mixed doubles alongside Mohamed Anas Imran Beg, with the Indian pair defeating the Philippines’ Jhoana Abulencia and Prince Agustin in their Group A opener.

Teqball, invented in Hungary, combines elements of football with a curved table and resembles a blend of freestyle football and sepak takraw. The sport is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, featuring five medal events — men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

IANS