Indian women keep Uber Cup hopes alive

After a narrow 2-3 defeat to Denmark in their opening Group A tie, India stayed alive in the Uber Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over Ukraine in Horsens, Denmark, on Saturday.The two-time bronze medallists dropped only the opening doubles, where Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi went down to Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr 1221, 21-17, 10-21.With PV Sindhu fielded only in doubles, Unnati Hooda gave India a strong start, edging past Buhrova 21-19, 2220. Tanvi Sharma then rallied after dropping the second game to beat Kantemyr 21-12, 17-21, 21-10.Thailand Masters champion Devika Sihag sealed the tie for India, defeating Mariia Stoliarenko 23-21, 21-13 in the third singles.In the final rubber, Sindhu paired with Tanisha Crasto to overcome Stoliarenko and Sofiia Lavrova 21-18, 21-15, completing a dominant outing.Despite the convincing win, India’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals remain slim. They must beat China on Monday and hope Denmark lose to a lowerranked Ukraine. In the other Group A tie on Saturday, China thrashed Denmark 5-0.While the women face an uphill task, the Indian men — who take on Australia on Monday — are favourites to progress to the knockout stage from Group A alongside China.