China Masters: Kidambi Srikanth Stuns World No. 9 Victor Lai to Reach Quarterfinals

A day after Lakshya Sen’s defeat to Victor Lai at the China Masters, veteran.

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a vintage performance to knock out the World No. 9 Canadian in straight games and keep India’s men’s singles campaign alive at the prestigious Super 750 tournament.

The 33-year-old Srikanth defeated Lai 21-18, 21-19 in 43 minutes in the Round of 16 in Shenzhen on Thursday, September 3, registering his biggest win of the season. Srikanth celebrated the victory by punching the air in delight after completing a composed performance against a player who has been in excellent form.

The win marked Srikanth’s first victory over a top-10 player this year and saw him reach the quarter-finals of a Super 500 or higher-level tournament for the first time in the season.

Ranked 33rd in the world, the former World No. 1 never allowed Lai to settle into the match. Srikanth was particularly effective at the net, using his deft touches and court craft to collect crucial points. He also lifted the shuttle deep consistently, limiting the Canadian’s attacking opportunities.

Srikanth trailed 11-15 in the opening game before producing a five-point burst to move ahead. He maintained his momentum to close out the game 21-18.

The second game followed a similar pattern. Srikanth struggled initially with the conditions while playing from the near side and found himself trailing 10-14 and later 15-18. However, the Indian staged another comeback and held his nerve to finish the match in straight games.

Srikanth’s ability to turn defence into attack, coupled with his dominance in the forecourt, proved decisive against Lai, who recently won his second World Championships medal in New Delhi.

The performance was a welcome reminder of Srikanth’s best days, particularly after he missed the World Championships on home soil. The 33-year-old has endured a difficult season, with 13 wins and 13 defeats so far, but showed signs of a revival when he reached the final of the US Open Super 300 in June.

A deep run in Shenzhen could provide Srikanth with valuable confidence ahead of the Asian Games in Japan later this year. Although he will not compete in the individual singles event, his experience could prove important to India’s medal hopes in the team competition.

TANVI SHARMA CRASHES OUT

India suffered disappointment in women’s singles as teenage sensation Tanvi Sharma went down fighting against World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in a marathon second-round clash lasting one hour and six minutes.

Tanvi won the opening game 21-17 but could not maintain the momentum, losing the next two games 18-21, 16-21. The 17-year-old Indian led by a point at the interval in the decider but slipped behind 13-17, a deficit she was unable to overcome.

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

Her defeat brought India’s women’s singles campaign in Shenzhen to an end after Unnati Hooda and Devika Shaig had exited earlier.

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

Later in the day, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were scheduled to take on the Popov brothers in the men’s doubles pre-quarter-finals.