New Delhi: Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters after a hard-fought win over Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in their second-round clash on Thursday. Srikanth, currently ranked 65 in the world following a period of inconsistent form, defeated world No. 33 Nguyen 23-21, 21-17 in a 59-minute battle.
The win marks an important step in Srikanth’s bid to return to top form. He will now face France’s Toma Junior Popov in the quarterfinals. Popov secured his place in the last eight by defeating India’s Ayush Shetty 21-13, 21-17.
Another Indian, Sathish Karunakaran, saw his campaign come to an end as he went down 14-21, 16-21 to Toma’s younger brother and doubles partner, Christo Popov.
In the mixed doubles category, the Indian pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila reached the quarterfinals with a gritty three-game win over France’s Lea Palermo and Julien Maio, prevailing 21-17, 18-21, 21-15.
Crasto and Kapila will now face a tough challenge against China’s Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin in the next round.
