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India endured mixed fortunes on the opening day of the Korea Masters 2026 in Asan, with experienced campaigner Kidambi Srikanth suffering an early exit, while teenage sensation Tanvi Sharma continued her impressive run. Although India’s men’s singles challenge came to an abrupt end, the women’s contingent delivered a series of encouraging performances, with several players progressing to the second round of the BWF Super 300 tournament.
Kidambi Srikanth Suffers Early Exit
Third seed Kidambi Srikanth was knocked out in the opening round after a closely contested three-game battle against Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko. The former world No. 1 fought hard but eventually went down 20-22, 21-14, 12-21 in a 50-minute encounter.
The defeat marks Srikanth’s second consecutive first-round exit following his runner-up finish at the US Open earlier this year. His elimination also signalled the end of India’s men’s singles campaign, with Rounak Chouhan, Kiran George, Mithun Manjunath, Saneeth Dayanand and Tharun Mannepalli all bowing out in the opening round.
Tanvi Sharma Continues Winning Momentum
Fresh off a Taipei Open triumph, Tanvi Sharma carried her confidence into the Korea Masters with a convincing straight-games victory over China’s Yuan An Qi. The young Indian won 21-16, 21-15 to comfortably book her place in the second round.
India enjoyed an impressive day overall in the women’s singles competition. Fifth seed Isharani Baruah defeated Korea’s Lee Yo Yul in three games, while eighth seed Anmol Kharb recovered from losing the opening game to overcome Hong Kong China’s Lo Sin Yan Happy.
Ashmita Chaliha also progressed after defeating Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto in straight games, while Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj and Mansi Singh fought back from one game down to secure victories. Shriyanshi Valishetty completed India’s successful outing with a straight-games win over Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po. Only Tanya Hemanth and Aakarshi Kashyap were eliminated in the women’s singles draw.
India also celebrated success in the doubles events, with Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker advancing in women’s doubles after a comeback victory, while mixed doubles pair Ishaan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra recovered from a game down to progress to the next round.
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