Indian Badminton Players Exit Early at Malaysia Masters 2026

Indian Men's Challenge Concludes in First Round

The Malaysia Masters 2026 saw the early exit of Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy as they were eliminated in the first round at the Stadium Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. Lakshya, who reached the semifinals at the Paris Olympics 2024, faced a surprising defeat against Indonesia's Zaki Ubaidillah, losing in straight games with scores of 21-17, 21-11. The match lasted 43 minutes, with both players tied at 14 points in the first game before Ubaidillah surged ahead.

HS Prannoy, the 2023 Malaysia Masters champion, encountered Japan's ninth-ranked Kodai Naraoka in a grueling match that extended for one hour and 20 minutes. After dropping the first game, Prannoy managed to save a match point, pushing the contest to a deciding game, but ultimately fell short, losing 17-21, 22-20, 22-24.

Tharun Mannepalli also faced disappointment, losing after leading at one point, with scores of 21-17, 14-21, 8-21 against Wang Po-Wei from Chinese Taipei. Kiran George had to retire during his match against seventh seed Alex Lanier of France, ranked tenth in the world, marking the end of the men's challenge for India in Malaysia.

Mixed Results in Women's Singles

In the women's singles, Malvika Bansod kept India's hopes alive by defeating German Olympian Yvonne Li with scores of 21-17, 16-21, 21-9 in a match that lasted an hour. Ashmita Chaliha, who qualified for the main draw, advanced to the second round after a convincing win over Indonesia's Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan, with scores of 21-16, 21-13. Devika Sihag also progressed, overcoming South Korea's Park Ga Eun in a thrilling match that ended 19-21, 21-18, 21-19.

However, Anmol Kharb narrowly lost to Danish eighth seed Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt with scores of 21-13, 16-21, 19-21. Tanya Hemnath was defeated by Huang Ching Ping from Chinese Taipei, losing 21-19, 21-7. Tanvi Sharma continued the trend of losses for India, falling to Thailand's Pitchamon Opatniputh with scores of 21-10, 21-19. Isharani Baruah also lost a close match against Danish fifth seed Line Christophersen, with scores of 17-21, 21-14, 18-21.

End of India's Doubles Campaign

In the women's doubles, the challenge for India concluded when Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda were defeated by the Japanese second seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, who are ranked seventh in the world, with a score of 21-7, 21-6.