“It’s been a pretty good week. Not exactly the way I wanted it to end, but he played really well,” Srikanth said.
Kidambi Srikanth
His long title drought did not end, but Kidambi Srikanth capped a remarkable Malaysia Masters campaign with a runner-up finish 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 Indian shuttler, playing his first final in six years, was erratic and struggled to break through Feng’s defence, losing 11-21, 9-21 in 36 minutes. “It’s been a pretty good week. Not exactly the way I wanted it to end, but he played really well,” Srikanth said.
“I’m just happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy. Being back again on the podium really feels special,” he added. Feng capitalised on Srikanth’s errors to pull ahead 14-8 before Srikanth showed glimpses of brilliance with a net kill and a swift forehand cross to trail 10-16. However, the Chinese closed the first game with consecutive down-the-line smashes.
In the second game, Feng led 11-5 at the interval, leaving the Indian with a mountain to climb. Srikanth did craft a beautiful reverse drop after a gruelling 46-shot rally at 5-12, and produced an elegant crosscourt winner at 8-18. But ultimately, Feng’s back-to-back smashes sealed the game.
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