Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 15 (IANS): India's Parupalli Kashyap qualified for the Malaysia Masters 2019 after defeating Vladimir Malkov 21-12, 21-17 in straight games in the men's singles qualification round at the Axiata Arena here on Tuesday.
Kashyap, who recently married London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, will next take on Rasmus Gemke from Denmark on Wednesday at the BWF World Tour Super 500 event.
But it was a heartbreak for the lesser known Indian shutters, including the latest Premier Badminton League (PBL) sensation Rituparna Das, who was knocked out of the qualification stages.
Rituparna fought hard before going down 13-21, 24-26 in straight games to Indonesia's Ruselli Hartawan, while her compatriot Mugdha Agrey also lost 17-21, 21-18, 19-21 to Switzerland's Sabrina Jaquet in the women's singles category.
In another men's singles, India's Subhankar Dey crashed out of the tournament after going down in straight games 18-21, 13-21 to Thailand's Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk.
