Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth went down fighting to Lin Chun-Yi in the semi-finals of the Swiss Open 2024 in Basel, Switzerland. Srikanth’s defeat not only brought an end to his incredible run at the tournament but also to India’s campaign in the Super 300 event.
Srikanth was India’s only representative in the semifinals of the tournament. Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat, and the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost in the quarterfinals, while India’s other leading shuttlers, PV Sindhu, and Lakshya Sen, and the women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto ended their campaign after defeats in their pre-quarterfinal matches.
A closer look at the result of Kidambi Srikanth’s semifinal at the Swiss Open 2024
Kidambi Srikanth has been struggling to find his form recently. The former World No. 1 has made an early exit in all of his last 12 tournaments. However, his phenomenal performance at the Swiss Open ensured the Indian shuttler made it to the later stages of the competition.
Srikanth took on Lin Chun-Yi in the men’s singles semifinal of the Swiss Open 2024. This was the first meeting between the two shuttlers.
The match began with Srikanth showcasing his attacking style of play. Playing like his former self, the Indian took an early 5-2 lead, one that he maintained throughout the set. With some incredible net shots followed up by a winning smash, the former World No. 1 wrapped up the set 21-15.
The second set saw fortunes turn. After a close start, with the scores level at 5-5, Srikanth managed to take only four points. Chun-Yi accelerated ahead to take a nine-point lead, leading 16-7, and then won the game with a scoreline of 21-9.
The third and final set saw the Indian shuttler find his rhythm once again. The decider witnessed some intense rallies, and with neither player willing to give up, the two shuttlers were engaged in a neck-and-neck battle for the majority of the set. After the scores leveled at 16-16, Chun-Yi surged forward to seal the set at 21-18 and win the match.
The match lasted an hour and five minutes, and the final score of the thrilling three-set battle was 21-15, 9-21, 18-21 in favor of Lin Chun-Yi.
With this semifinal loss, Srikanth’s hunt for a final continues. He played his last final in an individual event back in 2021. Kidambi Srikanth and the rest of the Indian shuttlers will now be seen in action at the Madrid Spain Masters starting on March 26.
