Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth bow out of China Masters

NEW DELHI: Star Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth faced divergent outcomes, marking their exit in the Round of 32 from the China Masters tournament, the final BWF Super 750 event of the season in Shenzhen on Wednesday.
World No. 17 Sen, who secured victory at the Canada Open this year, experienced a defeat of 19-21, 18-21 against seventh-seeded Chinese player Shi Yuqi.In contrast, world No. 24 Srikanth encountered a three-game battle, losing 15-21, 21-14, 13-21 to Thailand’s world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Srikanth, with just four quarter-final finishes this season, faced his third consecutive first-round exit on the World Tour, highlighting the challenges in his current form.
The stakes are high for both Sen and Srikanth, who are striving to secure spots within the top 16 by April 28 next year to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
In another match, young Indian Priyanshu Rajawat also exited the tournament after a 17-21, 14-21 loss to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in 46 minutes.
Srikanth struggled in the opening game against Vitidsarn, falling behind early as the Thai player took an 11-6 lead at the break. Although the Indian narrowed the gap to 12-13, Vitidsarn ultimately claimed the first game.
Srikanth rebounded in the second game, establishing a slim 3-0 lead and eventually securing a 21-14 victory to level the match. However, Vitidsarn dominated the decider, breaking away from an 8-8 tie and sealing the victory with a 13-21 score.
While Srikanth and Sen faced exits, Asian Games bronze medallist HS Prannoy and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty remained in contention, set to play their second-round matches on Thursday.
(With PTI inputs)