The Thailand Masters 2026 had seen a disappointing start from the Indians shuttlers. On Thursday, it was a mixed bag for them in the pre-quarters. While several top names crashed out, the unseeded Isharani Baruah produced an upset by beating the second seed in this Super 300 event. Devika Sihag and Tharun Mannepalli also registered impressive wins.
Facing Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, Isharani exhibited tactical maturity and neutralised her opponent’s aggressive baseline play with clever deceptive drops to win the first game 21-13. She lost the second 14-21. In the decider, the Indian displayed good court coverage and smashes, winning 21-14. Isharani takes on Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in the next round.
Joining her in the last eight was Devika, who downed the eighth-seeded Tung Ciou Tong of Chinese Taipei 21-14, 21-14 in half-an-hour. The 20-year-old from Haryana showed brilliant footwork and deep smashes. She faces a tough challenge in Thailand’s world No. 16 and top seed Supanida Katethong. Anmol Kharb lost to the fifth-seeded Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei 21-10, 19-21, 19-21.
In men’s singles, Mannepalli, who edged out Thailand’s former World Championship medalist Kantaphon Wangcharoen in the opening round, displayed composure to outlast Chinese Taipei’s Ting Yen-Chen. It was a tightly-contested battle, won 21-17, 14-21, 24-22 by the Indian.
Mannepalli was trailing 13-19 in the decider before he stepped on the pedal, winning points in clusters with his sharp net play and clever crosscourt smashes. He drew level at 20-20 and held nerves to move into the last eight. He will face China’s Zhi Xuan Chen next.
Mithun Manjunath went down against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Hia, a Paris Olympics bronze medallist. The Indian won the first game 21-11, but made unforced errors and lost the next two 16-21, 12-21. The seventh-seeded Kiran George, the only seeded Indian, made a disappointing exit. He lost 16-21, 11-21 to Indonesia’s 20-year-old Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo.
Follow Revsportz for all sports updates.
