The Indian men’s doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun produced one of the standout results for the country at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 tournament, progressing to the second round with an impressive straight-games victory over France’s Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov on Tuesday, May 19.
Hariharan and Arjun defeated the seventh-seeded French pair 21-19, 21-15 in a commanding performance that also carried an element of revenge after India’s painful loss to France in the Thomas Cup semi-finals earlier this month. The Popov brothers had been central to France’s historic run in the Thomas Cup, where they helped their nation become only the second European side after Denmark to reach the final of the prestigious team event.
In the Thomas Cup semi-final, the French team had outclassed an Indian side missing Lakshya Sen, sealing the tie 3-0. Christo and Toma Junior Popov won their respective singles matches, leaving India’s doubles combinations — Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Hariharan Amsakarunan-M R Arjun — without a chance to influence the outcome of the contest. France eventually finished runners-up after losing to eventual champions China in the final.
The Malaysia Masters victory, therefore, marked an important response from the Indian pair, who looked sharp and aggressive throughout the contest against the experienced French duo. Hariharan and Arjun held their nerve in a tightly contested opening game before taking complete control in the second to seal the win in straight sets.
The Indian pair will now face either Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin or China’s Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi in the second round.
India also had reason to celebrate in women’s singles, where Ashmita Chaliha battled her way into the main draw after a gritty three-game victory over Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu-po in the qualification round.
The 26-year-old Chaliha recovered after losing the opening game to register a 21-23, 21-16, 21-16 win in a match that lasted 56 minutes. She showed resilience and composure in the decider to complete the comeback and secure her place in the main draw. Chaliha will next take on Indonesia’s world No. 56 Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan in the opening round.
India’s mixed doubles combination of Sathwick Reddy Kanapuram and Radhika Sharma also advanced to the next round after defeating Datu Asrah and Clarissa San in straight games, 21-16, 21-17. The Indian pair looked comfortable for most parts of the contest and wrapped up the match without much trouble.
However, the day also saw some disappointing results for the Indian contingent. Aakarshi Kashyap exited the women’s singles qualifying rounds after suffering a 21-15, 20-22, 7-21 defeat against Korea’s Park Ga Eun. Kashyap appeared on course for victory after taking the first game, but the Korean player fought back strongly to win the next two games convincingly.
In women’s doubles, Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam were also knocked out after losing a hard-fought three-game encounter against Canada’s Jackie Dent and Crystal Lai. The Indian duo went down 16-21, 21-17, 17-21 in a closely contested match.
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