Malaysia Masters: Saina advances as Praneeth, Srikanth bow out
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Saina Nehwal (file photo)
"Kuala Lumpur: Top Indian male shuttlers Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth made a horrid start to their 2020 season as they both crashed out in the opening round of the Malaysia Masters.
Praneeth made a first round exit after suffering an 11-21, 15-21 defeat to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke in 46 minutes.
Srikanth, on the other hand, lost his second seed encounter to World No.2 Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen 17-21, 5-21 in a match that lasted for only 30 minutes. This was his fifth consecutive loss against Chou.
The defeats of the duo was yet another case of disappointment for India in the Super 500 tournament after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's first-round defeat in the men's doubles event on Tuesday.
However, Saina Nehwal cruised into the second round of the women's singles event after registering a convincing win over Belgium's Lianne Tan. Saina, the London Olympics bronze medallist, beat Tan 21-15, 21-17 in 36 minutes in what was their maiden appearance against each other.
