Thailand Masters: Srikanth, Manjunath, Ashmita advance to Round of 16

Bangkok: Kidambi Srikanth, Mithun Manjunath, and Ashmita Chaliha, advanced to the second round with straight-game victories in their respective opening round matches at the Thailand Masters, BWF Super 300 badminton tournament, here on Wednesday.

Srikanth faced off against Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling encounter that tested his mettle. Despite a strong start, Srikanth found himself trailing as Wang orchestrated a comeback.

The first game saw a seesaw battle, with Srikanth saving three game points before sealing it 22-20. The second game proved steadier, with both players probing each other's defenses. However, Srikanth's late-game acceleration secured him a 21-19 victory.

Srikanth will next face fellow Indian Mithun Manjunath, who eased past Hong Kong China’s Jason Gunawan 21-17, 21-8 in his opening clash.

Another Indian Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian also made the final 16 in after ousting Malaysian shuttler Leong Jun Hao 21-14, 21-17. He will face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi next.

On the other hand, Kiran George conceded a walkover due to injury concerns. He was forced to retire midway through his match after going down 21-17 in the first game while Sameer Verma battled fiercely but ultimately succumbed to Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong 14-21, 18-21.

In the women's singles, Ashmita Chaliha registered a straight-game 21-10, 21-16 victory over Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia. Meanwhile, Malvika Bansod win 22-20, 21-8 against Peruvian player Castillo Salazar.

Young talent Samiya Imad Farooqui faced a formidable opponent in world no. 19 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand. Despite a valiant effort, Samiya fell short, losing 14-21, 18-21.

The Thai star, Busanan, is now set to clash with Malvika in the second-round encounter on Thursday.