Kidambi Srikanth Scripts Big Upset, Defeats Victor Lai at China Masters

A day after Lakshya Sen’s exit, Kidambi Srikanth kept India’s men’s singles campaign alive at the China Masters with an impressive straight-games victory over World No. 9 Victor Lai.

The former World No. 1 overcame the Canadian 21-18, 21-19 in 43 minutes in the Round of 16 in Shenzhen on Thursday, September 3, producing a composed performance to secure his biggest win of the season.

Srikanth, ranked 33rd in the world, made a strong comeback after trailing 11-15 in the opening game. He won five consecutive points to turn the contest around and went on to take the game 21-18.

The second game was equally competitive. Srikanth struggled to adjust to the conditions while playing from the near side and trailed 10-14 before later finding himself 15-18 down. However, the experienced Indian stayed calm, closed the gap and sealed the match without needing a decider.

Srikanth’s sharp work at the net and his ability to turn defence into attack made the difference. He also consistently lifted deep, restricting Lai’s attacking options and preventing the Canadian from dictating rallies.

The victory was Srikanth’s first over a top-10 opponent this year and his first appearance in the quarter-finals of a Super 500 or higher-level tournament this season. Lai had entered the contest in excellent form after securing his second World Championships medal in New Delhi.

For Srikanth, the win was a much-needed boost after a difficult season. The 33-year-old has recorded 13 wins and 13 losses this year and endured several early exits, although he did reach the US Open Super 300 final in June.

His run in Shenzhen could provide valuable momentum ahead of the Asian Games in Japan later this year. Srikanth will not compete in the individual singles event but could play an important role in India’s team-event campaign with his experience.

TANVI SHARMA EXIT ENDS INDIA’S WOMEN’S SINGLES CAMPAIGN

India’s women’s singles campaign came to an end after teenage star Tanvi Sharma suffered a three-game defeat to World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki.

The 17-year-old Indian won the opening game 21-17 but lost the next two 18-21, 16-21 in a marathon match that lasted one hour and six minutes.

Tanvi led by a point at the interval in the decider but could not maintain her advantage. Miyazaki moved 17-13 ahead and held on to complete the comeback.

Tanvi, who hails from Punjab, has enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning the Taipei Open Super 300 in July and making encouraging progress at major tournaments.

Her defeat followed earlier exits for Unnati Hooda and Devika Shaig, bringing India’s women’s singles challenge in Shenzhen to an end.

Earlier on Thursday, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also bowed out after losing to Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui in the mixed doubles pre-quarter-finals.

Fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were set to begin their men’s doubles pre-quarter-final against the Popov brothers later on Thursday.