SRI CAN

Sydney, June 25

Kidambi Srikanth notched up his second successive Super Series title with a stunning straight-game triumph over reigning Olympics and world champion Chen Long in the Australian Open summit clash.

The world No. 11 Srikanth won 22-20 21-16 in a 45-minute clash against the world No. 6 Chinese, who is also the current All England champion. Srikanth, who had reached the summit clash in Singapore and Indonesia before this tournament, is only the fifth player in the world to contest three successive Super Series finals.

Srikanth grabs lead

The Indian was the one to grab the early lead, capitalising on his opponent’s sluggish game go 10-6 up after a sedate start. But jolted by the lead he had conceded, Long gathered himself just in time, starting with a deftly-placed smash to make it 11-11. The Chinese shifted gears to add pace to the proceedings and his baseline strokes stood out for ferocity and accuracy.

But the Indian played the catch-up game quite well, coming up with a couple of brilliant smashes. It was this tenacity which got Srikanth a 17-15 lead even though Long continued to breathe down his neck.

But Srikanth did not let the momentum slip, helped by Long’s erratic game, and the underdog earned his first game point at 20-19. Long managed to save it with a rasping smash but Srikanth’s perseverance fetched him a second one at 21-20 when the Chinese was foxed by a low backhand return. This time, Srikanth made no mistake and sealed the first game in 23 minutes.

See-saw battle

The second game began with an engaging baseline rally, which ended with Srikanth smashing his way to the first point. The see-saw battle continued for a while before Srikanth broke away to lead 6-3, dominating the rallies with his accurately placed shots, which Long found difficult to return.

But Long was not completely out of the contest. He managed to keep up with the Indian with flashes of brilliance that make him among the best in the world. Srikanth seemed determined to end his winless streak against his fancied rival and led 11-9 at the break. Srikanth did not let the lead slip from that point, raising his game by a few notches against an increasingly faltering Long. It took Srikanth 22 minutes to wrap up the second game, to seal a rather comfortable victory. The triumph was a morale-boosting jinx-breaker for Srikanth, who had lost all his previous five encounters to Long. — PTI

scoreline

22-20 

21-16

4Super Series win for K Srikanth —  India Open, China Open, Indonesia Open and Australian Open

1st win against  Chen Long in six meeting

5th player after  Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, the Chinese duo of Chen Long and Lin Dan to contest three successive Super Series finals