It was a field day for Indian shuttlers at the China Masters on Wednesday, as they managed to impress against higher-ranked opponents, to sail into the second round. First, it was Malvika Bansod, who continued her giant-killing spree to beat LH Kjaersfeldt of Denmark 20-22, 23-21, 21,16 followed by PV Sindhu‘s win over B Ongbamrungphan 21-17, 21-19.
But the moment of the day came from Lakshya Sen, who beat his nemesis Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, against who he lost the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics. Here at China Masters, the Indian won 21-14, 13-21, 21-13. These wins come at a crucial time for the top Indian shuttlers, who haven’t won even a single BWF title in 2024, or have even come close to it.
Malvika Bansod Continues to Impress
Contrary to popular belief, Malvika Bansod has shown in various tournaments, that she can be the next big thing. She has repeatedly gone on to beat some of the top players this year, more so, recently. Even though there are still doubts if she could be the answer to PV Sindhu or Saina Nehwal, she certainly has the ability to win a few tournaments.
Last month, she had managed to reach the final of the Hylo Open, where she only lost to Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt. Then in September, she had reached the quarters of the China Open 1000, where she beat Olympic bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Kirsty Gilmour.
Lakshya Sen Overcomes Lee Zii Jia
But it was nothing less than a confidence-boosting win for Lakshya Sen, who lost that bronze medal match to Lee. The Indian was on top of his game, despite it going to the third game. From here on, he can rebuild his career, which looked in doldrums after the Paris Olympics, post which the younsgter had lost a lot of confidence.
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