Indonesia Masters 2024 Day 3 Results: Kiran George goes down to World No. 9 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarterfinals

The quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters 2024 took place at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, January 26. Kiran Geroge’s stellar run came to an end at the Super 500 tournament after the 23-year-old went down to World No. 9 Kunlavut Vitidsarn. His defeat also brought an end to India’s campaign at the Indonesia Masters.

A closer look at the Indonesia Masters 2024 Day 3 results

Kiran George, who is currently ranked 36 in the world, faced off against ninth-ranked Kunlavut Vitidsarn in his quarterfinal encounter.

The first set began with Vitidsarn taking an early 3-0 lead. He went on to increase the gap by two more points, making it 8-3. However, George managed to fight back and close down the score to 8-10.

The midgame interval saw the Thai shuttler increase the pace and begin to accelerate forward once again, leading 18-11. He eventually closed the set 21-14.

The second set began with both players neck and neck. With the scores level at 4-4, the World No. 9 from Thailand found his rhythm and started controlling the rallies. He took 11 straight points from 7-5 to make it 18-5 and wrap up the set 21-6. Vitidsarn won the match in just under 45 minutes. The final scoreboard read 14-21, 6-21 in Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s favor.

Kiran George had battled his way through the qualifying rounds to secure a place in the main draw of the Indonesia Masters. He beat France’s Toma Junior Popov in a thrilling three-set match, 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 in the first round. He then got past the World No. 18 from China, Lu Guang Zu, in another three-set battle, 21-11, 13-21, 21-18 in the Round of 16.

Earlier in the tournament, India’s highest-ranked men’s singles player, HS Prannoy, went down to former world champion Loh Kean Yew with a score of 18-21, 21-19, 10-21.

Former World No. 1 Kidambi Shrikanth also lost in the first round against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 21-19, 14-21, 11-21. Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat ended their campaign in the second round against China’s Weng H Y and Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, respectively.

The Indian shuttlers will be seen in action next at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2024, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from January 30.