Kidambi Srikanth falls short in US Open final
Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth's quest for a BWF World Tour title remains unfulfilled after he lost to Chinese Taipei's Su Li Yang in the men's singles final of the US Open Badminton tournament in Fullerton, California, on Sunday. The 33-year-old Indian shuttler was defeated 21-15, 16-21, 21-9 in a match that lasted one hour and nine minutes, according to a release from the tournament organizers.
Su, who is nine years younger at 24, started aggressively, racing to a 10-5 lead in the opening game. Srikanth fought back to level the scores at 10-10, but Su then won seven consecutive points to take the game 21-15.
Second game fightback not enough
In the second game, Srikanth stayed close to Su for the first half before changing the tempo. He moved from 15-13 to 20-13 and converted his fourth game point to win 21-16, forcing a decider. However, the effort took a toll on Srikanth's legs.
In the third game, Srikanth managed to stay neck-and-neck with Su until 9-7, but the Taipei shuttler then seized control, winning eight straight points to seal the match 21-9.
Srikanth's sportsmanship in semifinal
En route to the final, Srikanth displayed remarkable sportsmanship during a tense semifinal against Japan's Okimoto. When officials refused to correct a wrong call despite heavy protests, Srikanth walked up to the referee and conceded the point, handing it back to his opponent. This act was widely praised as the tournament's ultimate act of sportsmanship.
