Indian Shuttlers Shine at China Masters Tournament

Victories for Kidambi Srikanth and Tanvi Sharma

On Wednesday, Indian badminton players Kidambi Srikanth and Tanvi Sharma achieved significant victories in the singles events at the ongoing China Masters tournament. In the men's singles first round, Kidambi triumphed over Chi Yu Jen with scores of 21-16 and 21-15.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Tanvi, who previously secured a silver medal at the World Junior Championships, defeated world number 40 Amalie Schulz in a closely contested match, winning 21-16, 21-17.

Mixed Doubles Success

The Indian team also made strides in the mixed doubles category, where Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto convincingly defeated the duo of Tonkid Saeheng and Tonrug Saeheng with a score of 21-8, 21-9 in their opening match.

Lakshya Sen Exits Early

In a disappointing turn of events, Lakshya Sen, a prominent contender and Commonwealth Games champion, was eliminated in the first round. He faced Victor Lai and lost with scores of 14-21, 7-21, as the match slipped away from him.

Additionally, Devika Sahag was also knocked out after losing to Kaloyana Nalabantova with scores of 18-21, 15-21 in the women's singles first round.

Unnati Hooda's Early Exit

Rising star Unnati Hooda faced a setback as she exited the China Masters 2026 in the first round. She was defeated by world number 12 Kim Ga-eun in the women's singles opening round on Tuesday in Shenzhen. The 18-year-old, currently ranked 25th globally, lost the match 21-10, 21-18 after 37 minutes at the Shenzhen Sports Centre Gymnasium.

Kim quickly established a 4-0 lead in the first game and extended it to 11-3 by the mid-game interval. After the break, she maintained her dominance to secure the first game. In the second game, Unnati initially led 3-0, but Kim soon took control at 7-5. Although Unnati briefly regained the lead at 15-14, Kim ultimately clinched the match by winning the last three points.

This was their first encounter, with Kim having recently won the Macau Open and being part of the South Korean team that secured gold at the Asian Games 2023.