Former world No. 1 Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth entered the second round of the Thailand Masters BWF Super 300 with a straight-game win over Israel’s Danii Dubovenko. Srikanth dominated right from the word go, clinching the first round match 21-13, 21-18.
The victory over Danii is the second successive victory Srikanth had over Dubovenko, whom he defeated earlier at the 2024 Macau Open.
Srikanth was completely dominant from the outset. He led 6-0 in the first game and the Dubovenko was literally run for his money by the Indian shuttler. Srikanth maintained the same trend till the end of the first game, taking a fairly easy win with a margin of 21-13 at the end. Even though Dubovenko played a better game in the second game, Srikanth was simply dominating at all points and led 11-7 before taking the match, making it 21-18, and entering the next round.
Next Opponent: Jason Gunawan
Srikanth will next play Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan in the second round, seeking to carry on his good form and progress in the tournament further.
Other Indian Performances in Men’s Singles
Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian’s Hard Fought Victory
In another men’s singles contest, S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian overcame Malaysia’s June Wei Cheam in a thrilling match. Subramanian lost the first game 15-21 but returned strongly winning the other two games 21-15 and 21-19, securing himself a place in the second round. His next opponent will be Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo .
Ayush Shetty and Mithun Manjunath were eliminated.
Unfortunately, Ayush Shetty and Mithun Manjunath lost their opening round matches. Shetty was defeated by Malaysia’s Jing Hong Kok 15-21, 17-21, while Manjunath lost to Malaysia’s Sholeh Aidil 14-21, 13-21. Both will look to improve their performances in the upcoming tournaments.
Indian Pairs Shine in Doubles
Kapoor and Gadde Win Mixed Doubles
The Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde were impressive, beating Thailand’s Weeraphat Phakjarung and Sararat Chueboca 21-8, 21-16. They will advance to the second round, where they will face the Thai duo of Ratchapol Makkasasithorn and Nattamon Laisuan.
Ruben Kumar and Hariharan win in men’s doubles
Ruben Kumar and Hariharan also came through in the men’s doubles by outplaying Pannawat Jamtubtim and Ratchapol Makkasasithorn of Thailand. Indian won 21-18, 21-12 to take through to the next round.
India has come out strong at the Thailand Masters, with Kidambi Srikanth heading the list of Indians in men’s singles. Others such as S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian have also progressed, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde continued India’s good mixed doubles show. The tournament is quite competitive, and more fantastic action is likely to be seen as these players progress in the event.