Indian badminton players Malvika Bansod and Ashmita Chaliha have secured spots in the main draw of the Malaysia Masters 2023 women's singles event after winning their respective qualifiers held at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Ranked 40th in women's singles, Malvika Bansod faced off against Hsiang Ti Lin of Chinese Taipei in the qualification round of the BWF Super 500 event. Despite a slow start, Bansod rallied back after being initially down 3-6 in the first game, ultimately clinching a 21-12, 21-19 victory in 43 minutes.
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With this win, Bansod advances to the next round where she is set to face China's world No. 8, Wang Zhi Yi, on Wednesday. Notably, Wang Zhi Yi had defeated Bansod at the same stage of the German Open 2023 in March.
Ashmita Chaliha, ranked 50th in the world, faced Canada's Wen Yu Zhang, who is ranked 47th. Chaliha showcased her resilience as she recovered from a tough first game, bouncing back to claim a hard-fought 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 victory in 45 minutes. Her next challenge in the round of 32 will be against China's world No. 9, Han Yue, on Wednesday.
How did the men's perform in Malaysia Masters 2023?
The journey ended in the qualification round for Indian men's singles players Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian and Mithun Manjunath.
Subramanian, ranked 82nd, fell to Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen, ranked 48th, with a score of 10-21, 14-21 in 36 minutes. Meanwhile, Manjunath, ranked 44th, lost to Chinese Taipei's Chia Hao Lee, ranked 47th, with a score of 13-21, 19-21 in 35 minutes.
When is PV Sindhu playing in the 2023 Malaysia Masters?
India's two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will compete against Denmark's Line Christophersen in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
Whereas, Indian men's singles players, including HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, and Lakshya Sen, will also hit the court on Wednesday.
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