Kidambi Srikanth storms into main round of Malaysia Masters 2025

ANI May 21, 2025 278 views

Kidambi Srikanth showed his class by securing a spot in the Malaysia Masters main draw with two convincing wins. The former world No. 1 breezed past Kuo Kuan-lin before overcoming a tough challenge from Huang Yu Kai. Other Indian shuttlers had a disappointing day with early exits across categories. All eyes now turn to PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy as they begin their campaigns on Wednesday.

"Srikanth dropped the first game but rallied in the next two to win 9-21, 21-12, 21-16" - Olympics.com
Bukit Jalil, May 20: Former world number 1 and ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the main rounds of the men's singles in the ongoing Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

Key Points

1

Srikanth dominates Kuo Kuan-lin 21-8, 21-13

2

Fights back to beat Huang Yu Kai in qualifiers

3

Indian shuttlers Tharun, Sankar exit early

4

PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy set for Wednesday action

Competing at the Stadium Axiata Arena KL Sports City, Kidambi Srikanth beat Chinese Taipei shuttlers Kuo Kuan-lin and Huang Yu Kai to make it to the main draw, according to Olympics.com.

Kidambi Srikanth, 65th in the men's singles badminton rankings, made light work of world No. 64 Kuo Kuan-lin after beating him 21-8, 21-13 in just 29 minutes.

Srikanth's second qualifying match was a bit more challenging against world No. 86 Huang Yu Kai. The Indian badminton player dropped the first game but rallied in the next two to win the match 9-21, 21-12, 21-16 and make it to the main draw.

However, India's other two entries in the men's singles qualifiers were knocked out. Tharun Mannepalli was beaten 21-13, 23-21 by Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul while Sankar Subramanian put up a fight but was beaten 22-20, 22-20 by Xuan Chen Zhu of China.

In the women's singles, Anmol Kharb fell at the first hurdle in the qualifiers after losing 21-14, 21-18 against Hung Yi-Ting of Chinese Taipei.

The first round matches in the women's doubles saw Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi lose 21-14, 21-18 against eighth seeds Lin Jhih-Yun and Hsu Yin-Hui of Chinese Taipei.

Rashmi Ganesh and Sania Sikkandar also exited the women's doubles in the first round after going down 21-10, 21-12 against Thailand's Pichamon Phatcharaphisutsin and Nannapas Sukklad.

Prerana Alvekar and Mrunmayee Deshpande, on the other hand, progressed to the second round in the women's doubles after beating compatriots Vaishnavi Khadkekar and Alisha Khan 21-19, 19-21, 21-13.

In the men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi suffered a first-round exit after losing 21-13, 21-18 to Chinese Taipei's Chen Zhi-Ray and Lin Yu-Chieh.

Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K were ousted from the men's doubles as well after falling to a 21-15, 23-21 defeat against fifth-seeded Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun of Malaysia.

The mixed doubles qualifiers witnessed Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan lose 21-15, 21-16 against Ming Yap Too and Yu Shan Lee of Malaysia.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and world championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy will be seen in action at the Malaysia Masters on Wednesday.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Srikanth showing his class again! That comeback against Huang Yu Kai was 🔥. Hope he carries this momentum into the main rounds. Disappointing to see other Indian players struggling though - we need more depth in our badminton squad.
P
Priya M.
As a badminton lover from Hyderabad, I've followed Srikanth's career closely. His game has matured so much - the way he adapted after losing first game shows his experience. But BAI needs to focus on developing young talent like Tharun and Sankar who showed promise despite losing.
A
Arjun S.
Mixed results for India today. While Srikanth's performance was top-notch, our doubles teams need serious improvement. Losing to Chinese Taipei and Malaysia in straight sets isn't acceptable at this level. Time for some tough decisions in team selection!
S
Sunita R.
That first match was pure domination by Srikanth! 21-8, 21-13 in under 30 minutes - vintage performance. But I'm worried about our women's team. After Sindhu, who's going to carry the torch? Anmol Kharb needs more international exposure.
V
Vikram J.
Good to see Prerana and Mrunmayee progressing in women's doubles! We need more success stories beyond singles. Looking forward to Sindhu and Prannoy's matches tomorrow - they're our real medal hopes in this tournament. #BadmintonIndia
N
Neha P.
Srikanth's ranking doesn't reflect his true potential. He's still one of the most dangerous players when in form. But the gap between him and our next best men's singles player is concerning. Where are the Satwik-Chirags of singles badminton?

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Your email won't be published


Disclaimer: Comments here reflect the author's views alone. Insulting or using offensive language against individuals, communities, religion, or the nation is illegal.

Tags:
You May Like!