Hong Kong’s Thomas Cup hopes have ended as they crashed out of the Asia Team Championships after a narrow 3-2 defeat by India on Thursday, the team’s second loss in a row in Group A. Youngster Jason Gunawan, the youngest-ever Hong Kong champion when he won the title at 16 in 2020, put up a brave fight in the deciding fifth match but still fell short after losing to Indian shuttler Mithun Manjunath in three games, 21-14, 17-21, 21-11, in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Day 3 Selangor Badminton Asia Team Championships 2022: Results Update Men’s Team - Men’s Singles Manjunath Mithun vs Jason Gunawan: 21-14, 17-21, 21-11 India 3 - 2 Hong Kong China #badminton #badmintonasia #unitedintriumph #BATC2022 pic.twitter.com/7ntTmUTB4U — Badminton Asia (@Badminton_Asia) February 17, 2022 “Jason has showed marked improvement from the opening match against his Indonesian opponent but still he is very young and has not played on the international circuit for two years,” badminton head coach Tim He Yiming said. “He has given his best but apparently he still needs to improve his quality before he can stand up against the more experienced players and this is also why we sent him to the continental tournament.” After losing 4-1 to Indonesia on Tuesday, Hong Kong had to beat the Indians to keep their Thomas Cup finals qualifying hopes alive before facing South Korea in the last group match on Friday. Top player Angus Ng Ka-long was absent from the line-up again because he was still feeling less than 100 per cent since arriving in Malaysia, leaving Lee Cheuk-yiu to play the first singles match. Hong Kong fall to Indonesia in Asia Team Championships opener But Lee, the world number 17, could do little to trouble rising Indian star Lakshya Sen, losing in straight games 21-19, 21-10. Reginald Lee Chun-hei and his partner Law Cheuk-him levelled the score after winning the first doubles and then Chan Yin-chak put Hong Kong in front with his victory in the second singles. India, however, were back on level terms through the second doubles, extending the tie to the fifth match in which they prevailed. “Our target is to provide more playing opportunities for our players after missing the international circuit for a long period of time because of disruptions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore the result is not the most important thing,” the head coach said. “Against South Korea, it will be even more difficult but I hope the young players can grab the opportunity to gain more international exposure.” The Koreans must win the tie if they want to qualify for the Thomas Cup final after losing to Indonesia 3-2 in another match on Thursday. Hong Kong badminton players told to stay in bubble in Malaysia In the women’s event, Hong Kong easily wont 5-0 over Kazakhstan in the last group match, although they have already no chance of making it to the Uber Cup finals after losing to Indonesia and South Korea. With Hong Kong still imposing strict quarantine requirements for overseas arrivals, the team will stay in Malaysia to train for two weeks before leaving for tournaments in Europe, including the all-important All England Open in March, while the young players will take part in junior events. “We can’t stop training and then pick up immediately for tournaments again,” the coach said. “We will train with the Malaysia team in Kuala Lumpur before leaving for Europe and it works for everybody.”