Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Srikanth Crashes Out Early, Tanvi Sharma Wins at Korea Masters
There is a big badminton tournament in South Korea called the Korea Masters.
Players hit a small shuttlecock over a net to score points and win matches.
A famous Indian player named Kidambi Srikanth used to be the best in the world.
But this time, he lost his very first match to a player from Israel named Daniil Dubovenko.
That was sad news for his fans, and the news reports even disagree a little about the exact last-game score.
Other Indian players did really well, especially in the women's events.
A young player named Tanvi Sharma, who just won a big title in Taipei, won her first match easily.
Many other Indian women also won their first matches.
Some Indian men lost their first matches too, so it was a day of mixed feelings for India at the tournament.
Third seed and former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth lost his first-round men's singles match to Israel's Daniil Dubovenko; Articles 1 and 2 report 20-22, 21-14, 21-12, while Article 3 reports the score as 20-22, 21-14, 12-21.
Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma beat China's Yuan An Qi 21-16, 21-15 and will face fellow Indian Shriyanshi Valishetty in the second round.
Six other Indian women — Rakshitha Ramraj, Mansi Singh, Isharani Baruah, Anmol Kharb, Ashmita Chaliha and Shriyanshi Valishetty — also advanced, while Tanya Hemanth and Aakarshi Kashyap lost.
India's men's singles had a disappointing day: Kiran George, Mithun Manjunath, Tharun Mannepalli and Rounak Chouhan exited in the first round, and Saneeth Dayanand retired against Japan's top seed Yudai Okimoto.
In doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Krishna Prasad Garaga upset the fourth-seeded Thai pair 21-16, 21-18 in 42 minutes, while Ishaan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra won their all-Indian mixed doubles tie.
- Who
- Kidambi Srikanth, Tanvi Sharma and other Indian shuttlers at the Korea Masters; Srikanth's first-round opponent was Israel's Daniil Dubovenko.
- What
- Opening-round action at the BWF Korea Masters 2026 Super 300 badminton tournament, headlined by Srikanth's early exit and a strong Indian women's singles showing.
- When
- Reports are dated August 5, 2026; Article 1 says the matches were Tuesday, Article 3 says Wednesday, and Article 2 says Thursday.
- Where
- Asan, South Korea.
- Why
- Srikanth hoped to build on his runner-up finish at the US Open but could not maintain consistency against Dubovenko; other Indians were competing for wins and BWF World Tour standing.
- Tournament
- BWF Korea Masters 2026 (Super 300)
- Venue
- Asan, South Korea
- Srikanth's result
- First-round exit to Daniil Dubovenko; Articles 1 and 2 report 20-22, 21-14, 21-12, while Article 3 reports 20-22, 21-14, 12-21
- Srikanth's status
- Third seed, former world No. 1, former world championship silver medallist, 33 years old
- Tanvi Sharma's result
- Third seed beat China's Yuan An Qi 21-16, 21-15; faces Shriyanshi Valishetty in round two
- Indian women's singles
- Seven players advanced to round two; Tanya Hemanth and Aakarshi Kashyap lost
- Indian men's singles
- Srikanth, Kiran George, Mithun Manjunath, Tharun Mannepalli and Rounak Chouhan out; Saneeth Dayanand retired
- Notable doubles results
- Roy-Garaga upset fourth seeds Thongsa-nga/Charoenkitamorn 21-16, 21-18 in 42 minutes; Bhatnagar-Mishra won all-Indian mixed doubles tie; Rawat-Maneesha K lost to Malaysian pair
