Kidambi Srikanth Advances to Semi-Finals at Malaysia Masters 2025

In an exciting quarterfinal match at the Malaysia Masters 2025, Kidambi Srikanth showcased his determination by defeating France's Toma Junior Popov. After a challenging three-game match, Srikanth advanced to the semi-finals, marking his first top-four finish of the year. He will face Japan's Yushi Tanaka next. Meanwhile, India's mixed doubles pair faced elimination. Read on to discover more about Srikanth's remarkable comeback and the tournament's developments.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 24, 2025, 10:04 IST

Srikanth's Remarkable Comeback

Bukit Jalil [Malaysia], May 24: Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth achieved a significant victory over France's Toma Junior Popov in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament, as reported by a Media House.

Currently positioned at 65th in the global badminton rankings, Srikanth showcased his resilience by overcoming a challenging match that ended with scores of 24-22, 17-21, and 22-20, lasting one hour and 14 minutes.

This marks Srikanth's first semi-final appearance of the year, with his last top-four finish occurring at the Swiss Open Super 300 in March 2024.

The Indian athlete started strong, taking an early 7-4 lead in the first game, but Popov fought back to level the score.

Despite facing a game point at 21-20, Srikanth managed to turn the situation around and clinch the first game.

In the second game, Srikanth fell behind by four points at the interval but managed to equalize at 15-15 before ultimately losing momentum.

During the decisive third game, Srikanth again trailed by four points at the mid-game break but rallied back to secure the win, marking his fourth victory against Popov in their six encounters.

Having previously defeated Ireland's world number 33 Nhat Nguyen in the round of 16, Srikanth is set to face Japan's world number 22 Yushi Tanaka in the semi-finals on Saturday. Tanaka advanced after defeating HS Prannoy in his quarter-final match.

Unfortunately, the mixed doubles team of India's Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila faced elimination, losing 22-24, 13-21 to China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, who are bronze medallists from the 2023 World Championships.

With this victory, Srikanth remains the sole Indian competitor in the BWF Super 500 tournament.