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Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Srikanth Kidambi after runner-up finish at Malaysia Masters: ‘Feels special to be back on podium, just want to keep myself happy'
Srikanth Kidambi said on Sunday that for someone who had been quite used to finishing on podiums earlier in his career, it felt special to finally end a long wait as he capped a remarkable campaign with a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament on Sunday. Srikanth went down in straight games to China's world No. 4 Li Shi Feng in the men's singles final and admitted it wasn't the level he wanted to be at for the title clash. The 32-year-old, who charted a long road back from injuries and missed opportunities, made his first BWF World Tour final in six years, starting from the qualifiers and riding a resurgent wave all the way to the title clash. However, the former world No. 1 was erratic and struggled to break through the second-seeded Li's solid defence and was unable to convert openings, eventually losing in 11-21 9-21 in 36 minutes. Here's what Srikanth had to tell BWF media after finishing a fine week and returning to the podium as the runner-up: Pretty good week. It's my third tournament also (in this swing). Played decently well in the first two as well but couldn't really win those matches. But pretty happy with the way how it went so far (in Malaysia). Not exactly the way I wanted to be today but still I think he played really well. You do realise you're one of the more romantic stories to have come out of this. People are very happy to see you back, including umpires. Where have you been and what's this return about? I know, my chair umpire was also asking where have you been! I didn't know people really missed me. But yeah, very happy to be back again. And obviously, I fell during the Singapore Open last year, and then I had to take a little off time. But then again, it got a little extended, more than I thought. And then I also got married last year in November. So that's another break. I started again from January. It's always tough when you're coming back from an injury and also from break. And then, when you haven't really played too many matches it's not easy to come directly and play the tournament. It took some time. I think the positive of everything is that I'm feeling better physically. So I just want to continue from here. What's this hunt about? What are you after? I'm just very happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy, that's it. And when you look at this silver, when you were standing on the podium, just general thoughts and emotions? Yeah, obviously again, it's been a while. There was a point in my career where I was pretty used to being standing there and then it's been a while. So to be back again on the podium really feels special Missed this high? Yeah. So basically, again going back in 2001 when Gopi bhaiya had won that All England title, I kind of started imagining myself playing on the centre court with only lights projecting on the centre court. I've always dreamt of it. And it's always good to be playing such matches and again, unless you reach finals, it doesn't really happen. So I'm very happy to be again playing like that.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Malaysia Masters 2025: Kidambi Srikanth loses to Li Shi Feng in the final
India's Kidambi Srikanth capped a remarkable campaign with a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament here on Sunday, going down in straight games to China's world No. 4 Li Shi Feng in the men's singles final. The 32-year-old, who charted a long road back from injuries and missed opportunities, made his first BWF World Tour final in six years, starting from the qualifiers and riding a resurgent wave all the way to the title clash. HIGHLIGHTS However, the former world No. 1 was erratic and struggled to break through the second-seeded Li's solid defence and was unable to convert openings, eventually losing in 11-21 9-21 in 36 minutes. Despite the loss, it was an inspirational show from Srikanth, who, after slipping to world No. 82 earlier this month, showed grit and class to remind the world of his calibre. The last time Srikanth reached a BWF World Tour final was at the 2019 India Open, where he also finished runner-up. He was also the silver medallist at the 2021 World Championships.
NDTV
24-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Kidambi Srikanth Enters First Final In Six Years At Malaysia Masters
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth stormed into his first men's singles final of a BWF event in six years with a straight-game win over Japan's Yushi Tanaka at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The 32-year-old, a 2021 World Championships silver medallist, dished out a superlative game, showing glimpses of his vintage self with sharp net play and attacking flair to outwit world number 23 Tanaka 21-18 24-22 in a thrilling contest. "I'm pretty happy. It's been a while," Srikanth said after the win. He will face second seeded Chinese Li Shi Feng in the summit clash on Sunday. This is Srikanth's first final appearance on the BWF World Tour since finishing runner-up at the 2019 India Open. A former world number one, Srikanth - currently ranked 65 - has endured a rough patch over the past few seasons due to form and fitness issues. "Physically I've been feeling well, but also the fact that I haven't played too many matches last year, playing qualifying, so may be kind of lost that touch of playing matches. And yeah, somehow everything worked out this time. "I've been working hard last month. It's just these wins, after a very long time, that is what has been my emotions," he added. A naturally gifted player, Srikanth became the first Indian to win four BWF titles in 2017 and then led the country to its first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in the team event. But his struggles began soon after. Though he seemed in good touch in 2019, Srikanth missed the Tokyo Olympics due to a combination of injuries and the cancellation of qualifiers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. He continued to suffer minor injuries, particularly ankle-related ones, which affected his consistency. He recovered in time to become the first Indian male shuttler to reach the finals of the 2021 World Championships in Spain. He also played a pivotal role in India's historic Thomas Cup triumph in 2022, winning all six of his matches, before fading again. Srikanth had reached the quarterfinals at the Thailand Open Super 300 earlier this year, while his last semifinal appearances came at the Swiss Open and Macau Open in 2023. Over the past three months, however, he underwent intense training sessions, focused on fitness, and worked on injecting pace into rallies under the watchful eyes of coaches RMV Gurusaidutt and Parupalli Kashyap. Asked about his plans going forward, Srikanth said: "I haven't really planned anything. It's just about being physically fit, being injury-free, and then playing as many tournaments as possible. I don't really have a target of playing the next tournaments this year. "So it's just about training and being physically fit and obviously if I play, I will obviously play to win. I really want to give myself enough time to recover, to train, and then play this time." In the opening game, Srikanth committed a few errors while trying to counter Tanaka's pace and trailed 1-5. With some fine straight slices and round-the-head smashes, the Indian closed the gap, but the Japanese kept a five-point cushion with a crisp cross smash. Srikanth gradually constructed rallies and forced errors from the diminutive Japanese to make it 8-9, though Tanaka held a three-point lead at the break. The Indian levelled at 14-all and surged to 19-16 lead with a superb cross-court return. A down-the-line smash earned him two game points, and he converted to take the opener. Tanaka again started strongly in the second game, leading 3-0 and 7-2 as Srikanth missed a few chances. But like in the first game, Srikanth responded with aggression, narrowing the deficit to 8-9 and levelling scores with a sharp net kill. Tanaka made soft errors as Srikanth moved ahead 13-10, but the Japanese fought back to make it 17 all. After an intense battle, Srikanth earned a match point off a net error, but Tanaka saved it to leave the scores level at 20-20. A tight net shot gave Srikanth a second match point, but Tanaka's quick return made it 22 all. A backhand push from Srikanth caught the line, and he sealed the match as Tanaka hit wide.
India Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Malaysia Masters: Back from wilderness, Kidambi Srikanth shows glimpses of vintage form
It's been a long, winding road back, but on a humid Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, Kidambi Srikanth found the rhythm, resolve and radiance that once made him the world's best. With a 21-18, 24-22 win over Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the Malaysia Masters Super 500 semi-final, Srikanth entered his first BWF final since 2019 — a six-year wait that felt far longer for the player was the tentative footwork and the patchy shot selection of recent seasons. In their place: sharp net play, crisp attacking intent and that familiar deception which once left the best guessing. Against the world No. 23, Srikanth mixed aggression with guile, especially in the tight second game, saving game points and holding his nerve in extended who began in the qualifying round, has beaten four higher-ranked players in an inspired run in Malaysia. For a player who had once collected four BWF titles in 2017 and led India to Thomas Cup gold in 2022, the slide that followed — marred by injuries, loss of form and a missed Olympic berth in Paris — was both physical and mental. There were brief glimmers: the historic 2021 World Championships silver, a flawless Thomas Cup run in 2022. But those were scattered moments in a largely frustrating when he last reached a BWF World Tour final, Srikanth smiled and admitted, 'I've lost track of it' in a candid reminder of just how long the wait has week in Malaysia, something clicked. Under the watchful eyes of coaches RMV Gurusaidutt and Parupalli Kashyap, Srikanth has rebuilt not just his fitness, but also his confidence — rally by rally."I've been working hard the past month. It's just these wins, after a very long time, that reflect all those emotions," he said.A big moment for Kidambi Srikanth!Hear what he had to say after the win. #BWFWorldTour #MalaysiaMasters2025 BWF (@bwfmedia) May 24, 2025Now ranked 65 in the world, Srikanth isn't thinking about rankings or Olympic points — just about playing, recovering, and being injury-free. He's learned, the hard way, that good form is not just about skill but also about sustained match time — something he sorely missed last Sunday, he will face China's second seed Li Shi Feng in the final — a big test, no doubt. But for now, just being back in contention, just hearing his name announced for a title match again, is a story in itself."I obviously don't know. I have not really planned. I want to remain fit, injury free and playing tournament. I don't have any specific target as to how many tournaments I would be playing. If I play, I would obviously play to really want to give myself enough time to recover and play well," he may not be the force of old, not yet. But for the first time in a long while, he's moving with purpose — and smiling like a man who knows he still has a few chapters left to write.
India Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Kidambi Srikanth enters first final in six years at Malaysia Masters
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth stormed into his first men's singles final of a BWF event in six years with a straight-game win over Japan's Yushi Tanaka at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament here on 32-year-old, a 2023 World Championships silver medallist, dished out a superlative game showing glimpses of his vintage self with sharp net play and attacking flair to outwit world number 23 Tanaka 21-18 24-22 in a thrilling is Srikanth's first final appearance on the BWF World Tour since finishing runner-up at the 2019 India Open. He last won four titles back in 2017.A former world number one, Srikanth, who has slumped to world number 65, has endured a rough patch over the past few seasons due to form and fitness. advertisement
