Kidambi Srikanth and Satwik-Chirag Shine at China Masters Super 750

Srikanth's Remarkable Victory

Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth, alongside the dynamic men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, showcased exceptional skills to reach the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 on Thursday.

In a thrilling match, Srikanth achieved a remarkable upset against Canadian World No. 9 and recent World Championship bronze medalist Victor Lai, winning with scores of 21-18 and 21-19. Demonstrating strategic prowess, Srikanth overcame an 11-15 deficit in the first game and clinched the final three points from 18-19 down in the second game.

This victory marks Srikanth's first quarterfinal appearance at a Super 750 event since 2021, where he is set to compete against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu. He also avenged Lakshya Sen's earlier defeat to Lai in the opening round.

Lakshya Sen's Struggles

Lakshya Sen, currently ranked 13th in the world, faced a tough match against Victor Lai, losing 21-14, 21-7 in just 38 minutes. This defeat highlights a challenging season for Lakshya, who reached the All England Open final in March but has struggled to maintain consistent performance, including an early exit at last month's World Championships in New Delhi.

In his opening match at the BWF Super 750 event, Srikanth had previously defeated Chi Yu-jen from Chinese Taipei, ranked 21st, with scores of 21-16, 21-15 in a 35-minute contest.

Satwik and Chirag Progress

In men's doubles, the former World No. 1 duo of Satwik and Chirag triumphed over France's Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov with scores of 21-17, 22-24, 21-9. After a closely contested second game, the Smash Bros asserted their dominance in the final game, taking an early 6-1 lead and finishing the match in 69 minutes.

They are set to face Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen in the quarterfinals. The world No. 5 pair had previously defeated Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing with scores of 21-11, 21-16 in a 40-minute opening match.

Other Indian Players' Results

In other matches, Tanvi Sharma put up a strong fight against Japan's World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki, ultimately losing 17-21, 21-18, 16-21 after 66 minutes.

Additionally, the mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto faced elimination against their opponents from Chinese Taipei.