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The KL Masters Malaysia Super 100 2023, taking place in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, saw Indian shuttlers feature only in the men’s and women’s singles categories. While Sai Praneeth, Meiraba Luwang, Sameer Verma, and K. Mekala featured in the men’s singles draw, Mansi Singh was India’s lone representative in the women’s singles.
The experienced shuttler, Sameer Verma, was the only Indian to make it to the quarterfinal. Verma went down to South Korea’s Choi Ji Hoon 13-21, 9-21 in a match that lasted 30 minutes.
Sameer Verma's quarterfinal clash against Choi Ji Hoon saw Sameer Verma trailing right from the first point. Hoon maintained a steady lead throughout the contest, and after leading 14-8, he clinched the first set by taking seven consecutive points.
The second set mirrored the first, with Hoon winning eight straight points before Verma could get on the scoreboard. Verma fought valiantly but ultimately lost the game with a score of 13-21.
Despite the quarterfinal defeat, Verma played some incredible badminton throughout the tournament. He received a bye in the first round, after which he got the better of P. Naing in a thrilling three-setter match in the next round. He eventually won with a scoreline of 16-21, 21-13, 21-11.
The pre-quarterfinal saw Verma’s match go the distance once again. He took on Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Panarin. The match, which lasted nearly an hour, saw Verma emerge victorious with a score of 21-14, 15-21, 21-19.
A look at the results of the other Indian shuttlers at the KL Masters Malaysia Super 100 2023
While Sameer Verma's journey was the most impressive among the Indian men's singles players, the same category also witnessed several other Indians take the court.
Sai Praneeth received a bye in the first round but was subsequently outplayed by J. Gunawan from Hong Kong, with a scoreline of 11-21, 13-21.
Meiraba Luwang was up against Malaysia's Jia Jie Tan. In a close contest, Luwang lost 17-21, 21-17, 16-21.
K. Mekala, who received a bye in the first round, faced a tough challenge in the round of 32, where he was defeated by P. Teeraratsakul with a score of 10-21, 10-21.
In the women's singles category, India's lone representative, a budding shuttler, Mansi Singh, showcased her abilities by defeating Malaysia's Nurshuhaini with a score of 21-11, 21-13 in the round of 32. However, her journey came to an end in the subsequent round when she was defeated by Thai shuttler P. Opatniputh with a score of 9-21, 11-21.
