India’s top badminton player, Kidambi Srikanth, is making a strong comeback after recovering from an injury. He showcased his prowess by defeating fellow Indian Ayush Shetty in straight sets (21-13, 21-18) to secure his spot in the men’s singles quarterfinals of the Macau Open Super 300 tournament. This victory marks Srikanth’s first competition since his injury in May, and he is now the sole Indian competitor remaining in the singles event.
Srikanth, the 2021 World Championship silver medalist, will next face a formidable opponent in Hong Kong’s second seed Ng Ka Long Angus. Their head-to-head record stands at a tight 4-4, making their upcoming match a highly anticipated clash.
In the women’s doubles category, the Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand showcased their dominance by securing a convincing 22-20, 21-11 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chih-Chun and Teng Chun Hsun in a swift 38 minutes. This win propels them to the quarterfinals, where they will be aiming to continue their strong performance.
Meanwhile, in women’s singles, former world junior number one Tasnim Mir displayed impressive fighting spirit against fourth seed and 2022 World junior champion Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan. Although she managed to push the match to three games, she ultimately fell short, losing 17-21, 21-13, 10-21.
The mixed doubles team of B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy unfortunately bowed out of the tournament in the second round. They faced a tough challenge from the Malaysian duo of Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, losing 17-21, 14-21.
Srikanth’s victory over Ayush was particularly noteworthy, as he overcame a brief initial deficit of 5-3 in the first game. He quickly regained control and went on to secure the first game with an 11-8 lead at the break. While Ayush showcased a stronger performance in the second game, leading 9-6 early on, he couldn’t maintain his momentum as Srikanth rallied back to secure a 19-16 lead before closing out the match.
