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Having started his BWF World Tour Finals 2021 campaign on a winning note, Kidambi Srikanth failed to continue the momentum in his second match.
The former World No. 1 put up a fight in the opening game but could hardly make any impact in the second. Srikanth eventually fell 18-21, 7-21 to three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Group B clash in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday (December 2).
The loss has pushed the Indian to third spot in the Group B standings, with second seed Lee Zii Jia and Vitidsarn ahead of him.
Srikanth now has a tough job on his hands if he wants to realize his semi-final dream. The former Indonesia Open winner needs to beat the reigning All England Open champion Lee Zii Jia in his final Group B assignment on Friday.
However, that's easier said than done. The Malaysian has been in top form at the season-ending championships and hasn't conceded a game in his two matches so far.
After kickstarting his title bid with a 21-15, 21-16 win over the young Vitidsarn on Wednesday, Jia pummeled Toma Junior Popov 21-13, 21-19 in his second group match. The 23-year-old looks extremely determined to add yet another prestigious title to his kitty this week.
Needless to say, Srikanth will have to come up with his sharpest performance of the week to stand any chance against the second seed. Jia came out on top in their only showdown at the Hylo Open so far, even though the Indian did run him close in both games before going down 19-21, 20-22.
Srikanth needs to hold his nerves and ensure that he finishes well if their match gets tight. The World No. 14 has shown signs of resurgence in the past few weeks, reaching the semifinals in two of his last three tournaments.
The self-belief, which had once gone missing, seems to be back. Srikanth needs to shrug off Thursday's loss and draw inspiration from his recent run if he wants to return to the semifinals of the year-ending championships once again.
BWF World Tour Finals 2021: Match details
Fixture: (3/4) Kidambi Srikanth vs (2) Lee Zii Jia.
Head-to-head: Lee Zii Jia leads Kidambi Srikanth 1-0 in the head-to-head. The Malaysian beat the Indian 21-19, 22-20 in their only meeting so far at the Hylo Open last month.
Date: 3 December 2021.
Time: 10:00 am local time, 7:30 am IST.
Tournament: HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021.
Round: Men's singles - Group B.
Venue: Bali, Indonesia.
Category: Season-ending championships.
Prize money: $1,500,000.
BWF World Tour Finals 2021: TV schedule
The 2021 BWF World Tour Finals is being telecast live on the Star Sports Select 1 & Star Sports Select 1 HD TV channels.
BWF World Tour Finals 2021: Live streaming details
The 2021 BWF World Tour Finals can be live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app.
