OSAKA -- The Japanese women's team came through where the men failed the night before, upsetting Romania 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the world championships Thursday to secure their first world-class medal since winning silver in Tokyo in 1983. Yoshie Takada overcame a loss to world No. 9 Mihaela Steff in the first contest of the quarterfinal at Osaka Metropolitan Central Gymnasium to edge 37th-ranked Otilia Badescu 21-17, 14-21, 21-13 in the final match and nail down the victory for Japan.
Japan, which is likely to face five-time defending champion China in the semifinals, is already assured at least a bronze medal since there is no playoff for third place.
Meanwhile, the Japanese men, who came to the meet with hopes of a medal, lost for a second time Thursday and will now have to scramble to avoid their worst-ever showing in the world championships. Less than 24 hours after having their medal hopes dashed in a 3-0 second-round loss to Italy, world No. 22 Toshio Tasaki and 23rd-ranked Koji Matsushita came up short against lower-ranked opponents as Japan fell 3-1 to Yugoslavia. The Japanese men, relegated to the consolation group for 13th-16th place, will have to win their final two matches to grab 13th and equal their worst-ever showing.