Thailand Masters: Sai Praneeth, Ishaan-Tanisha advance; Priyanshu goes down fighting

Rajawat lost his first-round match 21-14, 19-21, 25-27 to Korean Heo Kwang Hee at the Thailand Masters.

Priyanshu Rajawat lost to Korea’s Heo Kwang Hee in the first round of the Thailand Masters Super 300 badminton tournament in Bangkok on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Badmintonphoto

Priyanshu Rajawat, a member of India’s Thomas Cup winning team, went down fighting against Korea’s Heo Kwang Hee in a three-game contest in the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Rajawat took the lead at 21-14 in the first game. In the second game, the Korean bounced back to force the match into the decider.

The third game was close, with both players fighting back with points before Kwang Hee prevailed over Rajawat 27-25.

Earlier, Indian women’s doubles pairing of Simran Singh and Ritika Thaker made a first-round exit, losing in straight games to China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Zhang Shu Xian.

Meanwhile, B. Sai Praneeth, the former World Championships bronze medallist, advanced, beating Denmark’s Mad Christophersen in straight games, along with the mixed doubles duo of Tanisha Crasto-Ishaan Bhatnagar, who defeated the Thai combo of Ratchpol Makkasithorn and Chasinee Korepap.

In women’s singles, in an all-Indian face-off, Ashmita Chaliha got the better of Anupama Upadhyaya.

Day 2️⃣ underway in 🇹🇭!#ThailandMasters2023#IndiaontheRise#Badmintonpic.twitter.com/NJxNXnOASE

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) February 1, 2023

On Tuesday, the top Indian women’s doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their first-round match to Japan’s Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto 21-9, 21-10.