Day 2 of the Malaysia Open 2022 witnessed a couple of tight games including an Indian derby between HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen where the experienced Prannoy defeated his Indian mate in the third game to enter the Round of 16.
In women’s singles, ace shuttler PV Sindhu lost her first round against Spanish player Carolina Marin. The doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won their first game comfortably to enter the next round.
Here are the highlights of the Day 2 matches:
Men’s Singles
HS Prannoy vs Lakshay Sen
The Indian derby between HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen was a nail-biter where Prannoy got the better of young gun Sen by 22-24, 21-12, and 21-18. The Almora-born player started off really well but couldn’t continue his good run in the next two games.
Sen would have been a top contender for a medal in this Malaysia Open but his compatriot ended his campaign. Prannoy has now moved to the next round where he will be meeting Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia. A win from here can take Prannoy to the last eight.
Women’s Singles
PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin
PV Sindhu crashes out of the tournament after her defeat against Carolina Marin
Coming back after a long injury, PV Sindhu’s Malaysia Open campaign ended on a sour note when she got defeated by her arch-rival Carolina Marin by 12-21, 21-10, 15-21.
Sindhu made a terrific comeback in the second game and won convincingly but she did not look in the same rhythm in the final game. Overall, It was a hard-fought battle for the Indian star but she is surely going to make a comeback in the upcoming campaigns.
Malvika Bansod vs An Se-young
Not much was expected from this game as Malvika was up against one of the best in the business Se-young. It was an expected result in the Round of 32 where Malvika lost in straight games 9-21, 13-21. But this is not the end of the road for the youngster as there will be numerous tournaments this year where she would want to prove her worth.
Men’s Doubles
Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy vs Kim Won-ho/Choi Sol-gyu
Chirag and Satwik won their first-round match in the ongoing Malaysia Open
One of the best pairs in the world, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won their ‘Round of 32’ encounter against the South Korean pair of Kim and Choi. They beat them 21-16, 21-13 to enter the next round where the duo will face off against Bagas Maulana and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
Keeping in mind their current form, both Chirag and Satwik are favourites to win their next match as well. They had a tremendous 2022 with some of the biggest victories and the duo would want to repeat the feat.
Women’s Doubles
Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam vs Puttita Supajirakul/Supissara Paewsampran
Another setback for the Indian pair in this Malaysia Open where Ashwini and Shikha lost their first-round match by 10-21, 12-21 against the Thai pair of Supajirakul and Supissara. It was a tough task for the Indian pair in front of the Thai duo as they were not comfortable throughout the match. Now, both Ashwini and Gautam would like to overcome this performance in the tournaments to come.