India endured a disappointing start at the Malaysia Masters 2026 after top men's singles players Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy crashed out in the opening round on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur.
Lakshya, who reached the semifinals at the Paris Olympics, was beaten comfortably in straight games by Indonesia's Zaki Ubaidillah. After a close start to the first game, the Indonesian pulled away and sealed the match 21-17, 21-11 in 43 minutes.
Prannoy, the 2023 Malaysia Masters champion, also suffered an early exit after a hard-fought battle against Japan's world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka. Prannoy lost the first game, bounced back strongly in the second by saving a match point, but eventually went down 17-21, 22-20, 22-24 in a marathon contest lasting over an hour.
India's struggles continued in men's singles as Tharun Mannepalli lost after winning the opening game, while Kiran George retired midway through his match against France's Alex Lanier due to physical issues. With those defeats, India's challenge in the men's section came to an end on the very first day of the tournament.
Women keep India alive
There was better news in women's singles, where Malvika Bansod kept India's hopes alive with a three-game win over Germany's Yvonne Li. Ashmita Chaliha also advanced to the second round after beating Indonesia's Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan in straight games. Devika Sihag pulled off a thrilling comeback victory against South Korea's Park Ga Eun.
However, several other Indian players, including Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah, were knocked out. India's doubles campaign also ended after Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda suffered a heavy defeat against Japan's highly-ranked pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
