Daniil dubovenko

BWF Korea Masters: Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the BWF Korea Masters 2026 after going down 20-22, 21-14, 21-12 to Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko in the men’s singles opening round on Tuesday.

Srikanth, having entered the BWF Super 300 tournament with the aim of building on his second-place finish at the US Open earlier in the season, was unable to secure consistency against Dubovenko. After having just lost the first game 22-20, he was unable to recover as the Israeli won the following two games 21-14 and 21-12, thus ending Srikanth's campaign at the very first obstacle.

The loss was a blow to India's bid in the men's singles event in Asan, since the 33-year-old was not able to build on the promising form he had displayed in the United States.