Quimcy Dsouza Upsets Top Seed In Teqball, Moves One Victory Away From Asian Games History

Last Updated:September 18, 2026, 2:17 PM IST

Quimcy Dsouza moved within touching distance of a historic Asian Games teqball medal after stunning top seed Yuina Sakamoto and bagging a place in the women’s singles semifinals.

Quimcy Dsouza is eyeing India’s first-ever teqball medal (Picture credit: Instagram @quimcyyy)

Star Indian teqball athlete Quimcy Dsouza on Friday moved into the semifinals of the women’s singles event of the sport at the Asian Games, to be just one win away from bagging a historic teqball medal for India.

Making her Asian Games debut in a sport featuring at the continental event for the first time, Quimcy displayed brilliant composure under pressure at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Centre.

Quimcy recovered from losing the opening game against top seed Yuina Sakamoto to prevail 2-1 in a hard-fought contest.

Quimcy lost the opening game 10-12 but bounced back well, edging the Japanese player 12-11 in the second before clinching the decider 13-11. She carried that momentum into her second group match, defeating Cambodia’s Koymyean DY 2-0.

Quimcy won the opening game 12-9 before closing out the contest 12-7 to finish top of her group and earn a direct berth in the semifinals.

The result leaves Quimcy just one victory away from bagging a historic medal for India in teqball. She will face Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya in Saturday’s semi-final, with a win guaranteeing her a place on the podium.

If Quimcy loses, she will have another chance to win a medal in the bronze-medal match against the loser of the other semi-final between Myanmar’s Wai Khin Hnin and Lebanon’s Kamar Dandal.

For Quimcy, the achievement is significant as teqball makes its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Originating in Hungary, the sport combines elements of football with a curved table and is contested in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Quimcy’s busy day included the mixed doubles event as well, where she partnered Mohamed Anas Imran Beg. The Indian pair started their campaign with a win against the Philippines’ Jhoana Abulencia and Prince Agustin.

But Quimcy and Anas went on to lose to Cambodia and Thailand in their next two matches, only to beat Kuwait 2-0 in their final group match.

Quick Answers

Powered by

Ask News18

Who will Quimcy Dsouza face in the women’s singles teqball semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games?

Quimcy Dsouza will face Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya in the women’s singles teqball semifinal match on Saturday. If she wins, she is guaranteed a place on the podium, while a loss would send her to the bronze-medal match against the loser of the other semifinal between Myanmar’s Wai Khin Hnin and Lebanon’s Kamar Dandal.

How did Quimcy Dsouza perform in her group stage matches to reach the semifinals?

Quimcy Dsouza finished top of her group by winning both of her matches. She first upset top seed Yuina Sakamoto of Japan 2-1, bouncing back from a 10-12 opening-game loss to win the next two games 12-11 and 13-11. She then secured a direct semifinal berth by defeating Cambodia’s Koemyean DY 2-0, with game scores of 12-9 and 12-7.

What are the basic rules and origins of the sport of teqball?

Teqball originated in Hungary in 2016 and combines elements of football and table tennis. It is played on a specially designed curved table where players use their feet, legs, chest, and head to send a football over the net, but they are strictly prohibited from using their hands and arms. The sport is contested in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles formats.

Powered by

Ask News18

Read More