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World No. 2 Chen Long sealed his place in the final after beating India’s Kidambi Srikanth 21-18, 21-9 in the semi-final of the Dubai Superseries Finals. Long was favourite to win the encounter but Srikanth was intent on proving the bookies wrong. After a valiant effort, the World No. 6 won quite a few hearts from the supporters in Dubai.
Long wins first set after miraculous comeback
The first set started with both players shaking off their nerves in a long rally which the Long eventually won. Srikanth needed just the one point to warm up as he started hitting smashes on every corner of the court.
Srikanth raced to a 6-2 lead, maintaining a balance of aggression and patience in his game. Long on the other hand was not doing himself any favours by hitting his smashes straight into the net.
With a few more unforced errors by the World No. 2, Srikanth enjoyed a comfortable 11-5 lead going into the break. Srikanth’s attacking strategy was working perfectly so far and the World No. 6 looked to have startled the World Champion.
After the break, Long managed to reduce the deficit to four points but Srikanth once again took his game up another level. After some excellent court coverage, the 21-year-old went to a 16-10 lead. A couple errors and a body smash helped Long win four straight points but a deft touch helped Srikanth halt the momentum.
However, Long was going nowhere as he kept fighting to level the scores at 18-18. The Indian fought well but could do nothing to stop Long from completing the comeback. The Chinese was down 7-14 and 10-16 but ended up winning the set 21-18.
One-sided second set
The second set was just one way traffic. Long had the momentum and starting dominating the rallies. He went into the break with a 11-3 lead. Even after the break, the Chinese’s victory was inevitable. The Indian tried to stay in the match with a few smashes of his own but ultimately fell 21-9 in the second set.
Final score: Chen Long beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-18, 21-9.
