New Delhi: India’s campaign at the Malaysia Masters 2024 saw mixed fortunes on Wednesday, as HS Prannoy and Satish Karunakaran registered stunning upset victories in the men’s singles, while PV Sindhu suffered a disappointing first-round exit.
HS Prannoy battled past Japan’s fifth seed Kenta Nishimoto in a gritty three-game encounter, winning 19-21, 21-17, 21-16 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 22 minutes. Shortly after, Satish Karunakaran produced another major upset by outclassing third seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 21-13, 21-14 in just 39 minutes.
It was also a successful outing for young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty, who advanced to the next round with a strong comeback win over Canada’s Brian Yang, posting a 20-22, 21-10, 21-8 scoreline.
However, PV Sindhu’s struggles on the international circuit continued, as the double Olympic medallist fell to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh in the opening round. Despite a second-game resurgence, Sindhu went down 11-21, 21-14, 15-21, marking another early exit in a Super 500 tournament.
