India’s Rounak Chouhan booked his place in the men’s singles main draw of the Macau Open Super 300 on Tuesday after his qualifier against Myanmar’s Hein Htut ended in a retirement in Macau.
The match had swung back and forth before Htut was forced to stop, with the scoreline reading 14-21, 21-15, 19-17 in Chouhan’s favour at the time of retirement. The result sends the Indian into the round of 32, where he is scheduled to face Chinese Taipei’s Zhe Ying Wu on Wednesday. Wu is ranked 133rd in the world, as per the match preview details provided.
How Chouhan sealed a main-draw spot
Chouhan’s qualification match featured a clear momentum shift across the games. Hein Htut claimed the opening game 21-14, putting the Indian under early pressure in the contest.
Chouhan responded in the second game with a 21-15 win to level the match at one game apiece and force a decider. In the third game, the Indian held a narrow edge as the score reached 19-17 in his favour before Htut retired, ending the match and confirming Chouhan’s progression into the main draw.
With the qualification hurdle cleared, Chouhan now moves into the round of 32 of the Macau Open Super 300, where he will meet Zhe Ying Wu of Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the men’s singles qualifiers, India’s Tushar Suveer exited after a loss to Indonesia’s Christian Adinata. The match scoreline was 20-22, 13-21, 15-21.
Another Indian in the qualifiers, Alap Mishra, was beaten by Hein Htut 18-21, 18-21 earlier in the qualification phase. The same Myanmar shuttler later retired hurt in the final qualification match against Chouhan.
In women’s doubles qualifying, India’s Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam were defeated by Indonesia’s Amallia Prativ and Siti Fadia Ramadhanti. The Indonesian pair won 21-10, 21-8 to progress.
What’s next for the Indian contingent
Chouhan’s entry into the main draw keeps India’s men’s singles interest alive at the Macau Open Super 300, with his round-of-32 match against Zhe Ying Wu set for Wednesday.
For the rest of the Indian players mentioned in the qualification results, the tournament run ended at the qualifying stage, with Suveer losing to Christian Adinata, Mishra falling to Hein Htut, and the women’s doubles pair of Bhat and Gautam bowing out against Amallia Prativ and Siti Fadia Ramadhanti.