Indonesia Masters 2024 Day 1 Results: Lakshya Sen, Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat through to the second round, Prannoy and Srikanth crash out

It was a mixed day for the Indian shuttlers on Wednesday, January 24, at the Indonesia Masters 2024. The Super 500 tournament at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia, saw some of India’s top shuttlers battle it out for a place in the second round.

India’s leading men’s singles shuttlers, HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, both went down in thrilling three-set battles. But it was not all bad news for the Indian fans. Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, and Kiran George all won their respective matches and made it to the next round.

A closer look at Indonesia Masters 2024 Day 1 results

In the first match of the day, India’s Kiran George was up against French shuttler Toma Junior Popov. George, who battled his way through the qualifiers, winning two nail-biting three-set matches, played his third three-setter of the tournament. The 23-year-old ended up on the winning side once again.

After going down in the first game 18-21, George kept his composure and fought back, taking the next two sets and sealing the match in the process. The final scoreboard of the match read 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 in Kiran George’s favor.

Meanwhile, HS Prannoy took on former world champion Loh Kean Yew in his first-round match at the Indonesia Masters 2024. The World No. 8 from India lost the first set 18-21. He made a comeback, taking the second game 21-19 and taking the match to the decider.

However, in the third and final set, Prannoy couldn't keep the momentum going and was outclassed and comfortably beaten 10-21. The final score of the match was 18-21, 21-19, 10-21 in favor of Loh Kean Yew.

Another one of India’s most experienced men’s singles players, Kidambi Srikanth, also went down in three games. The former World No. 1 was facing Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in his opening match of the Indonesia Masters 2024. Srikanth won the first set 21-19, but the 30-year-old Indian couldn't stop Jia’s attack in the second game, going down 14-21.

The Malaysian shuttler continued this style of play in the decider and wrapped up the set comfortably, winning the match 19-21, 21-14, 21-11 in 54 minutes.

Lakshya Sen, who is looking to secure a place in the upcoming Paris Olympics, shrugged off his poor form and started the tournament with a decisive win. The 22-year-old took on China’s Weng H Y and dispatched him in straight games, winning the match with a score of 24-22, 21-15.

Priyanshu Rajawat, who currently sits at the 30th spot in the world rankings, played against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the first round. The Indian shuttler, who has been playing some incredible badminton this year, continued his form. He managed to secure a win against his higher-ranked opponent. Wrapping up the match in straight sets, Rajawat won with a final score of 21-18, 21-19.

Kiran George will now take on China’s Lu Guang Zu while Lakshya Sen will face Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in their second-round matches on January 25. Meanwhile, Priyanshu Rajawat will play against Canada’s Brian Yang.