Srikanth Exits Early as India's Women Keep Korea Masters Campaign Alive

India's campaign at the Korea Masters 2026 badminton tournament produced a mixed set of results through its opening rounds, with a disappointing early exit for one of the country's most experienced players offset by encouraging progress from a deep women's contingent.

Srikanth Falls in a Tight Three-Setter

Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth was knocked out in the men's singles first round, losing a closely fought three-game contest 20-22, 21-14, 12-21 to Israel's Daniil Dubovenko. The scoreline suggests a match that could have gone either way after the first two games were split, before Dubovenko pulled away decisively in the decider. For Srikanth, who has been working to rediscover the form that once took him to the top of the world rankings, an early exit at a mid-tier tour event is a setback, though not one that will materially alter his broader season trajectory.

Women's Singles Contingent Advances in Numbers

The bigger story for India through the early rounds has been the strength of its women's singles draw. Seven of the country's nine entrants in the category advanced to the second round, a hit rate that points to genuine depth rather than a single standout performer carrying the flag. That kind of across-the-board progress is relatively unusual for Indian badminton at tour-level events, where results have historically depended heavily on one or two marquee names.

Doubles Pairs Deliver Upsets

India's doubles pairings also had moments worth noting. The men's doubles combination of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Krishna Prasad Garaga pulled off a notable upset in the opening round, beating higher-seeded opposition from Thailand 21-16, 21-18 in 42 minutes, and followed it up by defeating fourth seeds to move into the round of 16. In women's doubles, the pairing of Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker fought back from a game down to beat a South Korean pair 13-21, 21-15, 21-12, while another Indian pairing lost in straight games to second-seeded Japanese opposition, underlining how uneven results can be even within the same event and discipline.

Why the Broader Picture Matters

Results at a tour-level event like the Korea Masters rarely make or break a career, but they do serve as a useful gauge of squad depth heading into a season with bigger targets on the calendar, including the BWF World Badminton Championships scheduled for New Delhi later this month. A women's singles group advancing seven of nine entrants, combined with doubles pairs pulling off seed upsets, suggests India's bench strength in badminton continues to widen beyond its best-known names — even as senior players like Srikanth face a tougher road back to their earlier form.

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