Kidambi Srikanth settles for silver after final loss, Lakshya Sen bags bronze

Huelva (Spain), December 19

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Kidambi Srikanth clinched a historic silver medal in the badminton World Championships after suffering a straight-game defeat to Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the summit clash. Former world No. 1 Srikanth lost 15-21 20-22 to Malaysia-born Loh in 43 minutes.

It is the best finish for an Indian in the men’s singles category of the event. The 28-year-old Srikanth bettered the feats of Prakash Padukone (bronze in 1983), B Sai Praneeth (bronze in 2019) and Lakshya Sen (bronze in this edition). It is the first time that India have won two medals in the men’s singles.

The silver also placed Srikanth alongside Saina Nehwal, who had finished runner-up in the women’s singles event in 2015. PV Sindhu is the only Indian to win the coveted gold, in the women’s singles in 2019.

It is a significant achievement for Srikanth, who has been dogged by fitness issues and lack of form ever since injuring his knee during the 2017 French Open final. He had claimed four Super Series titles that year.

Playing his first final since the 2019 India Open, 12th seed Srikanth fought a tough battle for supremacy with Loh, who relied on his explosive attacking game and quick footwork to put pressure on the Indian.

Srikanth, currently ranked 14th in the world, had his moments but he squandered leads of 9-3 and 18-16 in the two games to see the title slip out of his fingers.

The 24-year-old Loh became the first man from his country to win the title. The title capped a sensational post-Olympics season for Loh, who won the Dutch Open, Hylo Open and finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open Super 1000.

Yamaguchi clinches gold

Second-seeded Akane Yamaguchi clinched the women’s singles title. The 24-year-old Japanese shuttler beat world No. 1 and top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 21-14 21-11 in 39 minutes. Yamaguchi, currently world No. 3, becomes the second Japanese woman to win the title in the history. — Agencies