IKSAN (South Korea): India shuttler Kiran George advanced to the second round of the men’s singles event at the ongoing Korea Masters 2024 in the Republic of Korea’s Iksan City. The Indian shuttler had to come from behind to beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Hai Dang by 15-21, 21-12, 21-15 to make his place in the second round.
George had a sluggish start in the bout and was struggling to catch up to his Vietnamese opponent. However, the 24-year-old started to gain from the second game and clinched two consecutive wins in the final two games. The match between Kiran George and Nguyen Hai Dang lasted for 57 minutes on Wednesday.
In the second round of the tournament, Kiran George will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen on Thursday. The Chinese Taipei shuttler defeated South Korea’s Park Sang Yong, 21-14, 21-18 in his first-round encounter to move to the second round.
Kiran George is the only Indian to take part in the Korea Masters 2024. According to Olympics.com, at first, three Indian shuttlers — Kiran George and Ayush Shetty in men’s singles and Imad Farooqui Samiya in women’s singles — were named in the entry list for the South Korea meet.
However, Shetty pulled himself out of the competition after he made it into the semi-finals at the Hylo Open in Germany. On the other hand, Samiya has pulled out of the competition, leaving Kiran George as the solitary Indian in the competition.
A quarter-finalist at the Indonesia Masters and Swiss Open from earlier this year, Kiran George has struggled to keep up with his form recently. Since March this year, George has failed to make it past the round of 16 in any of the competitions he has played.
No Indian has ever won a title in any event at the Korea Masters as of now. Last year, Tanya Hemanth was the only Indian badminton player at the Korea Masters but had to exit from the women’s singles event in the opening round. (ANI)