India’s former World No. 1 badminton player, Kidambi Srikanth, faced a disappointing defeat on Thursday. He lost to Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Chen Ting in straight sets, 16-21, 15-21, at the Malaysia Super 100 tournament. Srikanth has been struggling with his form lately, resulting in early exits from several tournaments. He also failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, highlighting his recent struggles.
The loss to Yen-Chen Ting, ranked 158th in the world, was particularly disappointing for Srikanth. While Ting is a promising player, Srikanth has historically dominated top competitors and rising talents.
Kidambi Srikanth’s 2024 Journey:
Many are questioning whether Kidambi Srikanth’s era in badminton is over. His lackluster performance this season suggests that might be the case. He was eliminated in the second round of the Malaysia Open, losing to NG Ka Long Angus in straight sets. He also exited in the first round of the India Open, and again fell early in the Indonesia Masters and the Thailand Open. At the French Open, he lost in the second round, and he did not make a significant impact at the All England Open.
Srikanth’s best showing this year came at the Swiss Open, where he reached the semifinals and defeated Lee Zii Jia. However, since March, he has not advanced past the quarterfinals in any major tournament. At 31, the former World Championships silver medalist seems to be struggling to reclaim his position among the world’s elite players.
“Honestly, I participated in the 2016 Olympics, and I narrowly missed out on qualifying last time. I have experienced both outcomes. So, it doesn’t really matter to me anymore. If I win tournaments, I’ll qualify; if I don’t, I won’t. It doesn’t bother me much. For me, it is about winning,” Srikanth said, indicating that this could be his last chance to succeed.
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