Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth stunned world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada in straight games to enter the men’s singles quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also advanced to the last eight. The 33-year-old Srikanth produced one of his best performances of the season to defeat Lai 21-18, 21-19 in 43 minutes. It was Srikanth’s first victory over a top-10 opponent this season and took him into the quarterfinals of a Super 750 tournament for the first time since June 2023. Lai had knocked out Lakshya Sen in the opening round with a commanding 21-14, 21-7 victory but found Srikanth a far tougher proposition.
Srikanth holds nerve
Srikanth remained composed during the crucial stages of both games against the Canadian, who won his second World Championships bronze medal in New Delhi last month. The former world No. 1 said he had focused on executing his game plan rather than thinking about the score.
“I wasn't really thinking about the score. I was only thinking about what I have been doing throughout the match and what I need to do going forward,” Srikanth said. Acknowledging Lai’s strong form over the past year, Srikanth said every match presented a fresh opportunity and he believed he could compete with the best if he played to his potential. Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist, will next face Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu for a place in the semifinals.
Satwik-Chirag survive scare
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag were pushed hard by French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov before prevailing 21-17, 22-24, 21-9. The Indian pair appeared to be cruising after taking the opening game and establishing an 18-15 advantage in the second. They also earned two match points but failed to convert them as the French combination fought back to force a deciding game. Satwik and Chirag, however, quickly regained control in the decider. They dominated the exchanges and conceded just nine points to seal their quarterfinal berth.
The Indian duo will face Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the quarterfinals. India’s campaign suffered setbacks elsewhere. Tanvi Sharma fought hard against Japan’s world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki before going down 17-21, 21-18, 16-21 in the women’s singles second round. Mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also exited the tournament, leaving Srikanth and Satwik-Chirag among India’s remaining contenders at the Super 750 event.