Srikanth out, India’s challenge ends
New Delhi, September 14
Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the men’s singles event after losing a marathon three-game quarterfinal to draw curtains on India’s campaign at the $700,000 Japan Open badminton tournament.
Just like his compatriots, fatigue seemed to have caught up with the seventh-seeded Srikanth as he squandered the lead to lose 21-19 16-21 18-21 against South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun in a duel that lasted an hour and 19 minutes. In a hard-fought battle where fortunes fluctuated too often, Srikanth converted a 2-4 deficit into a 9-5 lead in the opening game but Lee clawed back at 10-10 before the Indian managed to grab a one-point advantage at the interval.
Srikanth continued his upward movement but Lee kept breathing down his neck. Leading 19-17, the Indian allowed the Korean to catch up again before securing the required points to pocket the opening game.
In the second game, Srikanth conceded seven straight points to his opponent, who moved to a massive 12-5 lead at one stage. The decider turned out to be a pulsating contest as Lee jumped to a 12-9 lead only to see Srikanth turn the tables at 13-12 with a four-point burst.
However, Lee managed to draw parity at 14-14 and then slowly moved ahead to seal the contest. It was Srikanth’s second defeat to Lee, who had outlasted the Indian at the 2016 Asian Championships. — PTI
