Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy faced early exits at the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament, losing their respective opening-round matches in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Lakshya Sen's Defeat
Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, went down fighting against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto. The world number 11 Indian lost 21-18, 18-21, 21-13 in a grueling 65-minute encounter. Sen started strongly, taking the first game, but Nishimoto fought back to level the match. In the decider, the Japanese shuttler dominated, racing to a 11-5 lead at the interval and never looking back.
Prannoy's Struggle
HS Prannoy, ranked 9th in the world, also bowed out in the first round after a straight-game loss to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. The 30-year-old Indian lost 21-18, 21-16 in 42 minutes. Prannoy struggled to find his rhythm, making several unforced errors at crucial junctures. Gemke, ranked 20th, used his aggressive style to keep Prannoy on the defensive throughout the match.
Other Indian Results
Earlier in the day, India's top doubles pairs also saw mixed results. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the Commonwealth Games champions, advanced to the second round with a comfortable win over Malaysia's Nur Izzuddin and Goh Sze Fei. However, women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost in three games to Thai sisters Nuntakarn and Rawinda Prajongjai.
The Malaysia Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, features top shuttlers from around the world. With the early exits of Sen and Prannoy, India's hopes now rest on the remaining players in the draw.
