Malaysia Masters 2025: Srikanth enters quarterfinal; Ayush, Karunakaran exit

Seasoned Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters after defeating Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in his second-round match on Thursday.

Srikanth secured a 23-21, 21-17 win in a 59-minute battle against the world No. 33.

Currently ranked 65 in the world due to a prolonged dip in form, Srikanth will face France’s Toma Junior Popov in the last-eight stage. Popov reached the quarterfinals by beating another Indian, Ayush Shetty, 21-13, 21-17.

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Sathish Karunakaran also exited the tournament, going down 14-21, 16-21 to Toma’s brother and doubles partner, Christo Popov.

In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila moved into the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 21-17, 18-21, 21-15 win over France’s Lea Palermo and Julien Maio. They will next face the Chinese pair of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin.