Putul Sonowal’s Commonwealth Games semi-final hopes hang in the balance after defeat in Malta

India’s Putul Sonowal will head into his final match in the group stage needing both a win and favorable results elsewhere after suffering a 0.5-1.5 defeat to Malta’s Shaun James Parnis in the men’s singles section competition at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday.

The loss dealt a major blow to Sonowal’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals, leaving him third in Group D with six game points after four matches. Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple leads the standings with a perfect 12 points from four wins, while Parnis consolidated his position in second place with nine points. With only one round of league matches remaining, the Indian is no longer in control of his own destiny in the battle for the knockout stages.

Sonowal endured a tough start against the in-form Maltese bowler who dominated the opening set from the start. Parnis raced to a 10-0 lead after five ends, putting the match beyond Sonowal’s reach. The Indian managed to restore some seriousness to the score by scoring two shots in each of the last two ends, but still surrendered the set 4-10.

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Facing elimination, Sonowal produced a spirited response in the second set. He rallied from an 0-4 deficit by conceding four shots in the third end to tie the score before building a 7-4 advantage after five ends. The momentum shifted in the Indian’s favor, but Parnis responded under pressure, scoring two runs in the sixth end and another in the seventh to force a 7-7 tie.

In the Commonwealth Games two-set format, each set is worth one point, while a drawn set is worth half a point for each player. So Parnis secured a 1.5-0.5 victory, enough to move closer to securing one of the two semi-final spots from Group D.

Despite the setback, Sonowal remains mathematically in contention. He will face bottom Kenyan Anwar Hamada in his final league game on Monday and will need to score maximum points to move to nine game points. Even then, the Indian’s hopes of qualifying will depend on other group results and the tournament’s tie-break criteria.

Sonowal began his campaign with back-to-back victories over Canadian Ryan Bester and Falkland Islands’ Cecil Alexander before suffering defeats to group leader Dzulkeple and now Parnis. While qualification is no longer entirely in his hands, the Indian will be hoping for a final turnaround in Group D as he looks to keep his Commonwealth Games medal dream alive.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

26 Jul 2026 22:30 IST