Kuala Lumpur, May 21, 2025 – Day 2 of the Malaysia Masters 2025 brought a blend of heartbreak and heroics for Indian badminton fans. While India’s men’s singles shuttlers delivered a string of impressive upsets to reach the next round, the women’s singles campaign came to a premature end, led by an unexpected first-round exit of two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu.
Men’s Singles: A Power-Packed Show of Grit and Upsets
Indian men’s singles players, however, turned the tide with standout performances that dominated Day 2 headlines.
- HS Prannoy, ranked 35th in the world, pulled off one of the day’s biggest wins by upsetting fifth seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan. After dropping the first game, Prannoy fought back with poise to take the match 19-21, 21-17, 21-16.
- Kidambi Srikanth continued his resurgence with a hard-fought 23-21, 13-21, 21-11 victory over sixth seed and world No. 13 Lu Guangzu of China.
- Rising star Sathish Karunakaran caused another upset by outplaying world championships bronze medallist and third seed Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei 21-13, 21-14 in a commanding performance.
- Ayush Shetty, fresh off a semifinal finish at the Taipei Open, showed resilience after losing the first game against Canada’s Brian Yang. He bounced back to win 20-22, 21-10, 21-8.
The only Indian men’s singles player to fall short was Priyanshu Rajawat, who lost 21-15, 21-17 to Singapore’s Jason Teh.
Sindhu Stunned as India’s Women’s Singles Run Ends Early
In the biggest shock of the day, world No. 16 PV Sindhu was knocked out in the first round by Vietnam’s Nguyễn Thùy Linh. Despite a resilient fight in the second game, Sindhu couldn’t hold off her opponent in the decider, ultimately going down 21-11, 14-21, 21-15 in a match that lasted just over an hour.
The loss marks Sindhu’s fourth first-round exit in her last five tournaments, underscoring her ongoing struggles in 2024-25. With this result, Nguyễn Thùy Linh now trails 2-2 in head-to-head meetings with the Indian star.
Joining Sindhu in an early exit were Unnati Hooda, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Malvika Bansod, all of whom lost their respective matches in straight or hard-fought games. This means India’s women’s singles campaign has ended entirely in the first round of the Malaysia Masters 2025.
Mixed Doubles: A Day of Departures
The mixed doubles court offered little joy for India on Day 2. Three Indian pairs were in action, and all faced straight-game defeats:
- Ashith Surya / Amrutha Pramuthesh were outclassed 21-12, 21-10 by top-seeded Chinese duo Jiang Zhenbang / Wei Yaxin.
- Rohan Kapoor / Ruthvika Gadde went down 21-10, 21-14 to fourth seeds Guo Xinwa / Chen Fanghui, also of China.
- Sathish Karunakaran / Aadya Variyath couldn’t capitalize on the men’s singles momentum, losing 21-15, 21-16 to Indonesia’s Verrell Yustin Mulia / Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.
A bright spot in this category came late in the day as Dhruv Kapila / Tanisha Crasto put up a gritty performance to defeat Adnan Maulana / Indah Cahya Sari Jamil of Indonesia 21-18, 15-21, 21-14.
Day 2 Malaysia Masters 2025 Recap – India Results
Men’s Singles
HS Prannoy def. Kenta Nishimoto (JPN) 19-21, 21-17, 21-16
Kidambi Srikanth def. Lu Guangzu (CHN) 23-21, 13-21, 21-11
Sathish Karunakaran def. Chou Tien-chen (TPE) 21-13, 21-14
Ayush Shetty def. Brian Yang (CAN) 20-22, 21-10, 21-8
Jason Teh (SGP) def. Priyanshu Rajawat 21-15, 21-17
Women’s Singles
Nguyễn Thùy Linh (VIE) def. PV Sindhu 21-11, 14-21, 21-15
Lin Hsiang-Ti (TPE) def. Unnati Hooda 21-12, 22-20
Putri Kusuma Wardani (INA) def. Aakarshi Kashyap 21-9, 21-8
Chiu Pin-Chian (TPE) def. Malvika Bansod 19-21, 21-18, 21-8
Mixed Doubles
Jiang Zhenbang / Wei Yaxin (CHN) def. Ashith Surya / Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-12, 21-10
Guo Xinwa / Chen Fanghui (CHN) def. Rohan Kapoor / Ruthvika Gadde 21-10, 21-14
Verrell Yustin Mulia / Lisa Ayu Kusumawati (INA) def. Sathish Karunakaran / Aadya Variyath 21-15, 21-16
Dhruv Kapila / Tanisha Crasto def. Adnan Maulana / Indah Cahya Sari Jamil (INA) 21-18, 15-21, 21-14
Looking Ahead
With India’s men leading the charge, all eyes will be on the second-round action featuring HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Ayush Shetty, and Sathish Karunakaran. After a promising Day 2, the pressure is on to carry the momentum deeper into the tournament.
Malaysia Masters 2025 – Round of 16 Fixtures
| Event | Match | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Singles – Round 16 | S. Kidambi vs N. Nguyen | 7:30 am |
| Men’s Singles – Round 16 | T. Popov vs A. Shetty | 7:30 am |
| Men’s Singles – Round 16 | S. Karunakaran vs C. Popov | 7:30 am |
| Men’s Singles – Round 16 | Prannoy H. S. vs Y. Tanaka | 7:30 am |
| Women’s Doubles – Round 16 | Y. Hsu / J. Lin vs Alvekar / Deshpande | 7:30 am |
| Mixed Doubles – Round 16 | T. Crasto / D. Kapila vs J. MaioL. Palermo | 7:30 am |
Stay tuned for continued coverage from the Malaysia Masters 2025, right here at Racket Deals.
