Kidambi Srikanth, Mithun Manjunath, and Ashmita Chaliha advanced to the second round with straight-game victories in their respective opening-round matches at the Thailand Masters, BWF Super 300 badminton tournament on Wednesday.
Srikanth faced off against Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling encounter that tested his mettle. Despite a strong start, Srikanth found himself trailing as Wang orchestrated a comeback.
The first game saw a seesaw battle, with Srikanth saving three game points before sealing it 22-20. The second game proved steadier, with both players probing each other’s defences. However, Srikanth’s late-game acceleration secured him a 21-19 victory.
Srikanth will next face fellow Indian Mithun Manjunath, who eased past Jason Gunawan 21-17, 21-8 in his opening clash.
Another Indian Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian also made the final 16 in after ousting Malaysian shuttler Leong Jun Hao 21-14, 21-17. He will face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi next.
On the other hand, Kiran George conceded a walkover due to injury concerns. He was forced to retire midway through his match after going down 21-17 in the first game while Sameer Verma battled fiercely but ultimately succumbed to Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong 14-21, 18-21.
In the women’s singles, Ashmita Chaliha registered a straight-game 21-10, 21-16 victory over Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia. Meanwhile, Malvika Bansod won 22-20, 21-8 against Peruvian player Castillo Salazar.
Young talent Samiya Imad Farooqui faced a formidable opponent in world no. 19 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand. Despite a valiant effort, Samiya fell short, losing 14-21, 18-21.
The Thai star, Busanan, is now set to clash with Malvika in the second-round encounter on Thursday.
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