It was a day of mixed emotions for the Popov brothers in Kuala Lumpur, with an early doubles exit followed by strong performances in men’s singles.

In doubles, the brothers saw their campaign come to an end in the opening round after a 21-19 21-15 defeat to India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan/M. Arjun.

The brothers responded well in the singles later in the day. Toma Junior Popov advanced comfortably to the second round with a composed 21-16 21-15 victory over Hong Kong China’s Ng Ka Long Angus in just 39 minutes.

Meanwhile, Christo Popov produced one of the comebacks of the day against Japan’s Koki Watanabe. After losing the opening game 21-14, the Frenchman saved two match points in a dramatic second game before edging it 24-22. He then completed the turnaround by taking the decider 21-16 to seal his place in the round of 16 after 67 minutes.

Tomorrow Toma faces the powerhouse from China Zhu Xuan Chen, while Christo will play Anthony Ginting.