Badminton star Kodai Naraoka got a fantastic start at the Malaysia Masters 2026. After the wrap of the Thailand Open, he travelled to Malaysia for this week's event and defeated Indian star HD Prannoy in the first round.

It was a hard-fought battle that lasted for 2 hours and 20 minutes, and finally, the result turned in favour of the Japanese star. Following the win, Naraoka reflected on his game and talked about his weaknesses. He highlighted the neck-to-neck game and said that his shots got soft at the end.

"I didn't think we could win until the very end. Even at the end, my shots got soft, and it felt like I was saved," he said.

He did not take any break and, just following his last week’s outing, played in the Malaysia Masters. He had a good start and took an early lead in the game, winning the first set 21–17.

In the second set, however, Prannoy had a good comeback and won, 22–20, leveling the match. They then headed for the third set, where finally the Japanese star secured his win with 24–22 and made it to the Round of 16.

However, talking about the pressure, he said that the accuracy of his shots had declined since last week.

Kodai Naraoka offers a glimpse of his outing at the Malaysia Masters

Kodai Naraoka offered a glimpse of his Malaysia Masters outing after defeating HS Prannoy in the first round. He shared pictures on his Instagram account on Tuesday with a sweet caption.

"I made it through the first round! Please keep supporting me tomorrow as well," he wrote.

His journey ended at the Malaysia Masters after he lost to Lu Guangzu in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. Naraoka is next heading to the Singapore Open. The tournament is scheduled to start on May 26, and in the first round, he will face Taiwanese badminton player Chou Tien-chen.

Meanwhile, before coming to play at the Malaysia Masters, earlier in the season, Kodai Naraoka had a mixed outing so far. He started the new year with the Malaysia Open, where he advanced to the second round after defeating Chi Yu-jen 21–18 and 21–18.

Next, he played against Lu Guangzu and won the game 21–18, 16–21, and 21–16. But after a fantastic start, he struggled against Jonatan Christie and lost the game 21–17, 21–13.

He also played at the All England Open but lost to Loh Kean Yew in the first round 14–21, 21–19, and 24–22. But after the tough start, he had some relief at the Asian Championships and Thomas Cup.

It would be interesting to see how things unfold for him in the upcoming event.

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Written by

Ankita Yadav

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi