Malaysia Masters 2026 Badminton Tournament: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy out in opening round

India suffered a disappointing start to the Malaysia Masters 2026 after top men’s singles players Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy crashed out in the opening round in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.Lakshya, who reached the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics, was beaten comfortably in straight games by Indonesia’s Zaki Ubaidillah. After a tight start to the first game, the Indonesian pulled away to seal the match 21-17, 21-11 in 43 minutes.Prannoy, the 2023 Malaysia Masters champion, also suffered an early exit after a tough battle with Japan’s world number nine Kodai Naraoka. Prannoy lost the first game, bounced back strongly in the second to save a match point, but eventually went down 17-21, 22-20, 22-24 in a marathon contest lasting over an hour.India’s struggles continued in the men’s singles as Tharun Mannepalli lost after winning the opening match, while Kiran George withdrew midway through his match against France’s Alex Lanier due to physical issues.These defeats ended India’s challenge in the men’s section on the very first day of the tournament.

Women keep India alive

There was better news in the women’s singles where Malvika Bansod kept India’s hopes alive with a three-game win over Germany’s Yvonne Li.Ashmita Chaliha also advanced to the second round after defeating Indonesia’s Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan in straight games. Devika Sihag staged a thrilling comeback win against South Korea’s Park Ga Eun.However, several other Indian players, including Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah, were dropped.The Indian doubles also ended after Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda suffered a heavy defeat against the highly ranked Japanese pair of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.