Japan on Tuesday defeated powerhouse South Korea on the first day of mixed gender boccia events at the Paris Paralympics to advance to the BC1BC2 quarterfinals. The team got off to a three-point lead in the three-a-side wheelchair event before the South Koreans briefly recovered to tie the match, only for Japan to score two more times to win 5-3 at South Paris Arena. “I wanted to smash my regrets from the individual event,” said team captain and Tokyo Games gold medalist Hidetaka Sugimura, who lost his individual crown to eventual champion Worawut Saengampa of Thailand in the quarterfinals on …