Shenzhen, September 2: In an exciting day at the BWF China Masters, Indian badminton stars Kidambi Srikanth and the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept India’s hopes alive.
However, Lakshya Sen faced an early exit in the round of 32 at the Shenzhen Arena.
Former World Championship runner-up Srikanth triumphed in his men’s singles round of 32 match, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in straight games. The match, held on Court 2, lasted 35 minutes, with Srikanth winning 21-18, 21-15.
In men’s doubles, the fourth-seeded Rankireddy and Shetty secured their spot in the pre-quarterfinals by overcoming the Malaysian pair of Junaid Arif and Kang Khai Jing. They claimed victory on Court 1 in 40 minutes, finishing with a score of 21-11, 21-16.
Meanwhile, India’s Tanvi Sharma, ranked 20th in the world, advanced to the next round of women’s singles by defeating Denmark’s Amalie Schulz in 31 minutes, with a score of 21-16, 21-17.
The mixed doubles event saw mixed results for India. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto earned a spot in the pre-quarterfinals by beating Thailand’s Tonkid Saeheng and Tonerug Saeheng in 24 minutes, winning 21-8, 21-9.
However, there was disappointment as Rohan Kapoor and Rutvika Shivani Gadde lost to the Taiwanese duo of Wu Guan Jun and Li Chia Hsin in 34 minutes, with a score of 21-16, 21-18.
In women’s singles, Devika Sihag faced defeat against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova on Court 3, losing 21-18, 21-15 in the round of 32. In the men’s singles, Srikanth started strong, quickly establishing a 7-1 lead. Despite Chi Yu Jen narrowing the gap to 13-8, Srikanth maintained control and won the first game.
In the second game, Srikanth initially took the lead, but Chi equalized at 4-4. The Taiwanese player briefly led 8-6, but Srikanth responded with four consecutive points, ultimately winning the game and match 21-15.
Earlier on Wednesday, Lakshya Sen’s campaign at the China Masters ended abruptly as he lost in the round of 32 to Canada’s Victor Lai in straight games.
Sen faced a 14-21, 7-21 defeat at the hands of the 2026 World Championship bronze medalist. This marked Sen’s third loss to Lai in their four career encounters. Notably, this year, Lai has defeated Sen three times, including at the Thomas Cup and the China Open in July. Sen’s only victory over Lai came in March during the All England Open semifinals, which was a closely contested match.
In another men’s singles match, Raunak Chauhan began his campaign with a victory over China’s Liu Yu Shuan, winning 21-15, 21-18. Meanwhile, Sanith Dayanand triumphed over the third-seeded Chinese player Dong Tian Yao with a score of 9-21, 21-18, 21-15. However, Kiran George lost to Japan’s Shogo Ogawa in a three-game match, with scores of 15-21, 23-21, 10-21.