Kidambi Srikanth Exits BWF India Open After Narrow Defeat
Srikanth's Journey at the BWF India Open
New Delhi, Jan 15: Former badminton champion Kidambi Srikanth faced elimination from the BWF India Open after a tough match against French player Christo Popov in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Srikanth, who previously held the world No. 1 ranking and earned a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships, lost with scores of 14-21, 21-17, 17-21 in a match that extended over an hour at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.
After dropping the first game 14-21, Srikanth demonstrated resilience by winning the second game 21-17, forcing a decisive third game. However, Popov elevated his performance in the final game, ultimately winning 21-17.
This match marked Srikanth's first defeat against Popov in their third encounter. Notably, Popov made headlines last December by becoming the first French player to win the World Tour Finals 2025, defeating world champion Shi Yu Qi.
Earlier in the tournament, Srikanth had a challenging start but managed to secure a victory against fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli, winning 15-21, 21-6, 21-19 to advance to the second round.
In women's singles, India's campaign concluded as Malvika Bansod lost to Chinese player Han Yue with scores of 18-21, 15-21. Additionally, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was eliminated in her opening match against Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh, losing 20-22, 21-12, 21-15. Despite this, Bansod kept hopes alive with a win over Pai Yu-po from Chinese Taipei before her exit.
On a positive note, HS Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the World Championships, won his first-round match against Lee Cheuk Yiu from Hong Kong, China, with scores of 22-20, 21-18.
India's top men's doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, advanced to the second round after receiving a walkover against USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
Unfortunately, all three Indian mixed doubles teams were eliminated in their first-round matches. Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh lost 21-15, 21-7 to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde fell 21-19, 21-14 to Germany's Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also lost 21-15, 21-14 against Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.