Asian Games
Asian Games: Bhavani Devi knocked out in quarterfinals, loses to Chinese fencer
Bhavani won all of her five matches in Pool 4. She even defeated the reigning Asian champion, Zaynab Dayibekova, from Uzbekistan. But Bhavani lost in the quarterfinal with a bit controversial outcome.
Bhavani Devi in action
Fencer Bhavani Devi is knocked out of the 19th Asian Games by China's Shao Yaqi in the quarterfinals after the Indian stunned the rest of the field in the women's sabre event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.
Bhavani will return home with India's best-ever finish in the women's sabre event, ending in the quarterfinals, at the Asian Games.
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Bhavani, the top seed, got a bye in the Table of 32 before cruising to the quarterfinals with a 15-9 win over Thailand's Tonkhaw Phokaew.
However, in the quarterfinals, in a bit controversial match, Bhavani lost to Shao Yaqi of China 15-7 and finished agonisingly close to a historic medal.
The 30-year-old, who became the first Indian fencer to win a bronze medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year, was visibly angry after the match. She objected to the referee's decision throughout the game and stormed out of the venue after the defeat with her coach.
List of Bhavani Devi's wins at Asian Games 2023
Karina Dospay (Kazakhstan) - 5-3
Juliet Jie Min Heng (Singapore) - 5-2
Alhsna Alhammad (Saudi Arabia) - 5-1
Zaynab Dayibekova (Uzbekistan) - 5-1
Mst Roksana Khatun (Bangladesh) - 5-1
Tonkhaw Phokaew (Thailand) - 15-9
Bhavani won all of her five matches in Pool 4. She had even defeated the reigning Asian champion Zaynab Dayibekova of Uzbekistan.
