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HS Prannoy squandered five match points while Lakshya Sen suffered a shock defeat as India endured a miserable opening day at the Malaysia Masters 2026.
HS Prannoy (X)
India’s campaign at the Malaysia Masters got off to a disastrous start on Wednesday, with top shuttlers Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy suffering early exits in Kuala Lumpur.
Lakshya Gets Walked Down By Teenager
The All England finalist Lakshya was comfortably beaten by Indonesia’s teenage sensation Zaki Ubaidillah in straight games. The 18-year-old played fearless badminton throughout the contest and stunned the higher-ranked Indian 21-17, 21-11 in just 43 minutes.
Zaki, a two-time junior world medalist, dictated rallies with confidence and composure well beyond his years, leaving Lakshya struggling to find rhythm or momentum at any stage of the match.
But the bigger heartbreak came in Prannoy’s clash against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka.
Prannoy’s Disastrous Collapse
The veteran Indian appeared to have one foot in the second round after fighting back brilliantly to force a decider. Then came the collapse nobody saw coming.
Prannoy led 20-16 in the third game and held five match points against the World No. 9.
From there, however, everything unravelled.
Naraoka somehow clawed his way back, capitalising on Prannoy’s nervy finishing and forcing errors at crucial moments before sealing an astonishing 21-17, 20-22, 24-22 victory.
For Prannoy, it was a defeat that will sting for a long time.
Hope For Indian Contingent
In a rare bright spot for India, Malvika Bansod kept the tricolour flying by registering the country’s first win of the tournament.
The Indian shuttler defeated Germany’s Yvonne Li 21-17, 16-21, 21-9 to move into the second round.
She will now face Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt, who overcame India’s Anmol Kharb in a hard-fought three-game contest.
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