Malaysia Masters 2022: India gets off to a disappointing start; Malvika Bansod crashes out in round one

    Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod lost to Goh Jin Wei of Malaysia in the qualification round of the women's singles event at Malaysia Masters 2022 in Kuala Lumpur on July 6

    Goh Jin Wei of Malaysia defeated Malvika Bansod of India Goh Jin Wei of Malaysia defeated Malvika Bansod of India

    The women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand was also knocked out in the opening round as the Indian squad ended the day without any victories. Malvika Bansod offered a top fight to Goh Jin Wei, but it wasn't enough to turn the game's tide. The Malaysian stayed dominant throughout the match and sealed her victory in straight games with a comfortable margin of 21-10, 21-17 in just 33 minutes.

    Indian shuttlers also lost all three of their women's doubles matches. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost the Malaysian duo Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 14-21, 14-21 in the opening round after just 33 minutes of play. The Indian pair is set to compete at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. They faced a setback in their preparation with the loss in Kuala Lumpur.

    In the second women's doubles match featuring Indian shuttlers, Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam lost to the Japanese pairing of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota with a margin of 7-21, 10-21. Pooja Dandu and Arathi Sara failed to respond to the Indian squad in the last match featuring Indian players for the day as they lost 17-21, 17-21 to Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria.

    Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy will open their bid for the men's and women's singles title on July 6.

    World Number One Viktor Axelsen Pulls Out

    World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark pulled out of the Malaysia Masters Supe 500 after winning the titles at Indonesia Open, Indonesia Masters and Malaysia Open in the last month.

    Viktor Axelsen is at the top of his form and has dominated every opponent he has faced in the last three tournaments. The Danish shuttler clinched the title at Malaysia Open on July 3 with a comfortable 21-4, 21-7 victory against former Japanese No. 1 Kento Mamota after just 34 minutes of play. The victory extended his win streak for the season to 33. It was also his third consecutive title and the fifth for the season.

    After announcing his withdrawal, Viktor Axelsen said, "When I woke up this morning, my body and head were telling me that it's time to rest and recharge before I step on the court again. I need some days off to rest, celebrate my recent wins with my family and then build up toward new goals.

    Viktor Axelsen has been replaced by World No. 40 Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in the men's singles draw.

     

     

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