Korea Masters 2018: Sourabh, Kashyap bow out in first round

Sourabh Verma and Parupalli Kashyap lost their respective matches in the first round of the Korea Masters.

Parupalli Kashyap lost to South Korean Dong Kuen Lee in the first round of the Korea Masters 2018. (File Photo)

The Indian challenge came to an end at the Korea Masters as Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma lost their respective matches in the first round on Wednesday.

Despite putting up a strong fight in the first two games, Kashyap, the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, lost 17-21, 21-13, 21-8 to South Korea's  Lee Dong Kuen in a match that lasted 79 minutes.

After losing the first game, Kashyap staged a comeback in second and won it comfortably. But the higher-ranked Korean surged ahead in the third set, winning it 21-8.

Sourabh's match was very similar to his compatriot's. Sourabh, who clinched the Dutch Open title this year, lost the first game but was dominant against his lower-ranked Finnish opponent, Eetu Heino, in the second. The decider was much closer than in Kashyap's match, but Heino edged Sourabh 21-13, 12-21, 21-18 in 50 minutes.

In the Premier Badminton League that begins on December 12, Kashyap is set to play for Chennai Smashers, while Sourabh will represent Ahmedabad Smash Masters.