India endured a disappointing start at the China Masters badminton tournament as Devika Sihag and HS Prannoy were knocked out in the opening round on Tuesday. While Devika pushed her opponent to three games, Prannoy suffered a straight-game defeat to bow out early.Thailand Open champion Devika Sihag showed plenty of determination against Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan. After losing the opening game, she bounced back to level the match by winning the second, but could not maintain the momentum in the decider. She eventually lost 19-21, 21-19, 13-21, ending her campaign in the first round.HS Prannoy also made an early exit after going down 10-21, 14-21 to Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in the men’s singles opening round. The former World Championships bronze medallist struggled to find his rhythm and was beaten in straight games.India will now look to bounce back on Wednesday when newly crowned Japan Open champion PV Sindhu begins her campaign against fellow Indian Unnati Hooda. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty are also set to take the court as India’s hopes shift to the remaining players in the tournament.
