Srikanth-Saina lose in first round; Japanese player Nishimoto defeated for the second time

Indian badminton players Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal had to face defeat in the first round of the Malaysia Open. In the first round of men's singles, Srikanth was defeated by Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-19, 21-14 in straight games. The match between the two players lasted for 42 minutes. Srikkanth and Nishimoto were facing each other for the seventh time.
This is Nishimoto's first win against Srikanth since 2018 and second overall. Earlier, Nishimoto defeated Srikanth in straight games at the 2018 Hong Kong Open. Apart from this, Saina Nehwal also had to face defeat in the first round in the women's singles category. Sin was defeated by Han Yu of China 21-12, 17-21, 21-12 in three games. Han Yu won for the second time.
Two-time Commonwealth Games champion Saina was defeated by Han Yui of China 21-12, 17-21, 21-12. Due to injuries and poor form, Saina could not perform well last year as well.
Indian women's doubles pair Trisha Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have booked their place in the pre-quarterfinals. Trisha-Gayathri beat the Hong Kong pair of Young Nga Ting and Young Pui Lam 21-19, 21-14 in the first round. The Indian pair won the match in just 34 minutes. They will now face the Bulgarian pair in the pre-quarters. And in men's doubles, Krishna Prasad and Vishnuvardhan lost in the first round.