5 biggest wins in Kidambi Srikanth's career so far

The incredible string of results for Kidambi Srikanth, which has catapulted him straight into the elite of the badminton world has a lot to do with the unmatched endeavor of the 24-year-old. 2017 has been his best year till date and it goes without saying that India's No. 1 shuttler has done more than enough to step out of the shadow of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.

After his triumph in the French Open Super Series, Srikanth became just the fourth badminton player ever to win four Super Series titles in a year, which is indeed an extraordinary achievement.

In this article, we take a look at five of the biggest wins so far in Kidambi Srikanth's career.

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#5 2017 Indonesia Open semifinal vs Son Wan Ho

Srikanth went into the match with a 2-4 head-to-head record against the Korean

Srikanth was facing South Korea's Son Wan Ho after more than three years and what made this encounter even more special was Srikanth's desire of overpowering his opponent who had beaten the 24-year-old Indian in their four straight previous meetings. Odds were against Srikanth who was ranked World No.22 at that time, while Wan Ho was World No.1.

In an emulous battle, Srikanth outclassed Wan Ho and won the match 21-15, 14-21, 24-22. Srikanth became the first Indian man ever to win the Indonesia Super Series Premier after he then got the better of Japan's Kazumasa Sakai in the finals.

#4 2015 India Open final vs Viktor Axelsen

Srikanth became the first Indian male champion at the India Open

The BWF inaugurated the Yonex-Sunrise India Open in 2008 and it wasn't till 2015 when finally an Indian was crowned as the men's singles champion, thanks to the heroics of Kidambi Srikanth. Before going into the game, the current World No.1, Viktor Axelsen had already suffered one defeat at the hands of Srikanth in the 2015 Swiss Open final.

It was the sheer indomitability of the Indian which gave him an edge over Axelsen who was beaten 18-21, 21-13, 21-12. After an evenly matched first set, it seemed like Srikanth was at the peak of his abilities and he annihilated the Dane in the next two sets.

#3 2017 French Open final vs Kenta Nishimoto

Srikanth won the French Open crown last month

After the historic win against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto earlier this year, Srikanth joined the likes of Lee Chong Wei, Chen Long and Lin Dan who have also won four Super Series titles in one year. Moreover, the victory secured his No. 2 spot in the men's singles ranking as well.

The final against Nishimoto was nothing short of a cakewalk for the 24-year-old Indian, who won the match 21-14, 21-13. Srikanth was at his absolute best, reflecting his excellent net play skills and was equally good at delivering some aggressive smashes with one of them being at the speed of 392km/hr.

#2 2017 Australian Open final vs Chen Long

Srikanth defeated one of the biggest names in Badminton World, Chen Long, in the Australian Open final this year

It takes an incalculable amount of accuracy, stamina, and flair to beat someone like Chen Long, who is one of the most dominating personalities in the badminton world right now. The 24-year-old Indian from Guntur finally managed to beat the Chinese shuttler, who had defeated him in their previous five matches.

Long had no other option but to submit to Srikanth's aggressive play, who was bombarding the Chinese with his lightning-quick smashes and kept his calm to win the first set 22-20. Srikanth regulated the second set extremely well with a composed mind and the Indian only grew more confident and Long started to break down. Srikanth claimed the second set 21-16 and became the first ever Indian man to win the Australian Open.

#1 2014 China Open final vs Lin Dan

The Indian defeated the legendary Lin Dan for his first Super Series title

Lin Dan, the greatest badminton player of all time, as some say, was stunned by this 21-year-old, Srikanth Kidambi in an enthralling battle, much to the disappointment of the home crowd. Any sane man would have expected Lin Dan to win but it was Srikanth who produced the performance of a lifetime to overpower the Chinese great.

After the match, Gopichand himself said, "There's a disbelief because you don't expect Lin Dan to lose, he always makes a comeback." Going into the match, Super Dan was a five-time World Champion and a two-time Olympic Champion. Of course, the odds were never going to favour Srikanth, but at the end of the day, the Indian proved too good for Lin Dan.