Thailand Masters: Mithun Stuns Seed, Kiran George Cruises as India Shows Mixed Form

India produced a mix of bright moments and narrow heartbreaks on Day 2 of the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok. Seventh seed Kiran George raced through his first-round match in clinical fashion, beating Malaysia’s Sholeh Aidil 21-15, 21-9 in just 27 minutes , a result that underlined his sharp early-season form.

In perhaps the day’s most notable result for India, Mithun Manjunath pulled off a confidence-boosting upset, outlasting Denmark’s eighth seed Magnus Johannesen 21-12, 9-21, 21-17 in a see-saw encounter that lasted nearly an hour. The victory by a player ranked around world No. 60 over a higher-ranked opponent is significant for Mithun’s momentum on the tour and has set up a high-profile second-round meeting. Several outlets report Mithun is slated to meet Lee Zii Jia next, which will be a stern test of his consistency.

The younger generation kept the flag flying as Tharun Mannepalli edged Thailand’s Kantaphon 22-20, 21-17 to move into the round of 32, showing grit in tight moments. Conversely, experienced names like Priyanshu Rajawat narrowly missed out going down 21-15, 13-21, 20-22 to Canada’s Brian Yang while Manraj Singh and Shankar Muthusamy were also eliminated after opening-round losses. These mixed results highlight the depth of competition at the Super 300 level and how fine the margins are in three-game matches.

On the women’s side, rising star Anmol Kharb continued her strong run with a convincing straight-games win over Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan 21-12, 21-12 , and is scheduled to face Taiwan’s Huang Yu-Sun next a clash that will test Anmol’s ability to step up against more experienced Tour opponents. Meanwhile Shreyanshi Valishetty produced a gutsy comeback to beat Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 14-21, 21-13, 21-19 , and Isharani Baruah comfortably defeated compatriot Malvika Bansod 21-12, 21-8 , showing India has multiple women pushing through the ranks. Several other women Tasnim Mir , Anupama Upadhyaya , and Tanya Hemanth bowed out in the opening round.

A few context points that matter beyond the scores: the Thailand Masters is a BWF Super 300 event (a useful tournament for ranking points and match practice early in the season), so wins here can meaningfully affect players’ world ranking trajectories and seeding at higher-level events later in the year. For Kiran George, this result is especially encouraging after a layoff earlier in the season his quick, controlled win suggests his timing and court rhythm are returning. For Mithun, upsetting a seeded opponent not only boosts confidence but also improves his visibility on the tour and could give him momentum heading into tougher draws.