Sen good, Srikanth better

Huelva (Spain), December 18

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Kidambi Srikanth became the first male badminton player from India to enter the final of the BWF World Championships when he beat compatriot Lakshya Sen in a thrilling semifinal, coming from a game down to secure victory. Srikanth, the world No. 14, beat Sen 17-21 21-14 21-17 in a thrilling encounter here this evening.

In the final, Srikanth will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

With the two Indians level at one game each and 15-15 in the third game, the match seemed destined to go to a very nervy end. It did turn out to be a nervy end, but the final game wasn’t as close as it was hoped — Srikanth took six of the next eight points to close the game and match.

After Srikanth got the final point of the match when Sen netted a backhand, Srikanth fell down to the court on his back. He then got back to his feet and the two Indian players shared a warm embrace at the net, having become part of history.

Srikanth, who had become the world No. 1 for a brief while in 2018, capped a remarkable comeback this year by reaching the final, having earlier failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games after several qualifying tournaments got cancelled due to Covid-19.

In the women’s singles final, Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei would take on Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. — TNS, agencies