It was a straight sets defeat for the Indian who had scripted history after becoming the first from the country to ever make it to the final.
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Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth lost in the final of the BWF World Championships final to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew on Sunday. It was a straight sets defeat for the Indian who had scripted history after becoming the first from the country to ever make it to the final stage of the competition. The final score at the end of the encounter was 15-21, 20-22. Srikanth tried his best to win the second set but it was just not meant to be. However, it was a performance that he can be proud of as he bagged a well-deserved silver medal, the first Indian to do so in the tournament.
The second set of the match was an absolute nail-biter as both shuttlers gave it their all. Yew was the one in the lead early on as he held a 10-12 advantage over the Indian. However, Srikanth managed to make a fine comeback and bring the score to 18-16. Requiring only three points to win the gold medal, it seemed like the pressure got to the Indian. Yeh played some fine badminton, using all of his skill and experience, and pulled the match in his favour at 18-20.
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Srikanth also was not one to go down without a fight. The Indian won the two consecutive points and fans were at the edge of their seats as the scorecard read 20-20. With the game at a deuce, the Singaporean shuttler proved his mettle as he won two successive points and won the championship.
The 28-year-old advanced to his first BWF World Championships final on Saturday after defeating compatriot Lakshya Sen in a hard-fought men’s semifinal at the prestigious tournament in Spain.
It was an important moment in Indian sporting history as the shuttler became the first ever to reach the final of the BWF World Championships. Before Srikanth, the likes of legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone and B Sai Praneeth had reached the semi-finals in 1983 and 2019 respectively Both had emerged victorious in their respective third place matches as they bagged the bronze medal for India.
Srikanth defeated Lakshya in the semifinals 17-21, 21-14, 21-17 to advance to the finals against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. He had an easy opponent in Mark Caljouw on the way to the semi-finals, defeating the Dutchman 21-8, 21-7 in one hour and nine minutes to reach the summit clash.
In the last 38 years, India has won two men’s singles medals: Prakash Padukone in 1983 and B Sai Praneeth in 2019. Srikanth has now added a third medal to the collection with his silver medal.
