World No. 65 Kidambi rediscovers groove to beat No. 18 Toma Junior Popov of France 21-18, 16-21, 21-6 in quarter-final; Saturday will mark his first last-four appearance since March 2024
India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth rejoices after winning his quarter-final against France’s Toma Popov yesterday. Pic/Badminton Photo
Seasoned Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth entered the men’s singles semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament with a hard-fought three-game win over the higher-ranked Toma Junior Popov of France here on Friday.
Close encounter
Srikanth, currently ranked 65th, but a former World No. 1, fought tooth and nail against World No. 18 Popov before outwitting the Frenchman 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a fierce contest that lasted for one hour and 14 minutes.
Srikanth made a quick start, racing to a 5-1 lead in the opening game before Toma clawed back to level at 7-7. However, Srikanth held his composure to edge past the Frenchman and pocket the first game.
Toma came out stronger in the second, taking a 6-2 lead. Though Srikanth managed to catch up at 14-all, the 26-year-old Frenchman kept his nose ahead to take the match into a decider. The third game turned into a rollercoaster. Srikanth led 5-2 before Toma surged ahead to go into the interval with an 11-7 advantage.
The Frenchman held a slender 16-14 lead before Srikanth turned the tide with a brutal smash to earn three match points. However, nerves crept in as the Indian squandered all three opportunities, sending the shuttle wide twice and then into the net. However, Toma failed to capitalise under pressure, committing two unforced errors as Srikanth sealed the match and raised his hands in triumph.
Srikanth, a World Championships and Asian Games silver medallist, will take on Japan’s Yushi Tanaka next. It will be his first semi-final appearance in over a year.
‘It’s been a while coming’
“It’s been a while since I’ve won these many matches in a tournament. I hope I can continue to do so. I’ve always been trying to better myself and this win proves that whatever I’m doing is working,” said Srikanth, 32, who is now the lone surviving Indian in this BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament after the exit of the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Kapila and Crasto gave the China’s top-seed Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin a tough fight in the first game, but then lost steam in the next to bow out 22-24, 13-21 in a 35-minute affair.
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