Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth booked his place in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 with a hard-fought straight-game win over Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen on Thursday. Srikanth, a former world number one, prevailed 23-21, 21-17 in a 59-minute thriller to progress into the last eight.
Currently ranked world number 65, Srikanth has been striving to regain top form after an extended lean patch. The win over Nguyen, ranked 33rd, marks a significant boost to his confidence as he eyes a deeper run in the tournament. Next up, he will take on France’s Toma Junior Popov, who defeated Indian youngster Ayush Shetty 21-13, 21-17 in another second-round clash.
However, it wasn’t all smiles for India as Sathish Karunakaran bowed out of the tournament following a 14-21, 16-21 loss to Christo Popov, Toma’s younger brother and doubles partner.
In the mixed doubles arena, India’s Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila kept hopes alive with a resilient performance against France’s Lea Palermo and Julien Maio, winning 21-17, 18-21, 21-15 in an engaging three-game contest. The duo will now face the formidable Chinese pair of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin in the quarterfinals.
With Srikanth aiming to rediscover his old spark and Crasto-Kapila shining in the doubles category, India continues to stay in contention at the Malaysia Masters 2025.
