Indian men’s doubles duo, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, caused a major upset by defeating seventh seeds Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov in straight games at the Malaysia Masters. Despite being underdogs, the Indian pair displayed a composed performance, securing a 21-19, 21-15 victory to advance to the next round.
In a closely contested first game, Hariharan and Arjun managed to edge ahead before dominating the second game with more assertive play, ultimately clinching the match in two games. This win signifies another positive stride for the Indian duo, who have been steadily gaining momentum on the international badminton circuit.
Ranked World No. 31 presently, Hariharan and Arjun have the chance to break into the top 30 if they continue their successful run in Kuala Lumpur. Their next challenge will be against either Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin or China’s Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi in the upcoming round.
India witnessed a mix of results on the tournament’s opening day across various categories. While the mixed doubles pair of Sathwik Kanapuram and Radhika Sharma progressed by defeating a Malaysian duo, the women’s singles saw Ashmita Chaliha advancing but Aakarshi Kashyap exiting after a loss to South Korea’s Park Ga Eun. Unfortunately, India faced disappointment in women’s doubles as Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam were defeated by Canada’s Jackie Dent and Crystal Lai.
Additionally, India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, opted out of the Malaysia Masters to manage their workload following a recent second-place finish at the Thailand Open.
