World No. 24 Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun retired at the first-game interval of their China Masters opening-round match against China’s World No. 10 pair Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi on Tuesday.

The Indian duo made a slow start as Chen and Liu raced to a 5-1 lead and then stretched their advantage to 7-3. Hariharan and Arjun, however, fought their way back into the contest, levelling the score at 7-7.

The Chinese pair managed to regain the lead and went into the first break with an 11-8 advantage. Hariharan and Arjun then retired at the interval, handing Chen and Liu victory and sending the Chinese duo into the next round. The reason for the Indian pair’s retirement was not immediately ascertained.

Chen and Liu will next face the winners of the match between Japan’s Hiroki Okamura and Kyohei Yamashita and Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

Hariharan and Arjun had entered the China Masters after being knocked out in the Round of 32 at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. The Indian pair lost 21-17, 21-14 to South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.

The Indian duo will now travel to Japan for the Asian Games, which get underway later this month. Arjun was part of the Indian men’s team that won silver at the 2023 Asian Games.

Published on Sep 01, 2026