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A resurgent Kidambi Srikanth will look to beat World No. 23 Kunlavut Vitidsarn for the first time when the two square off at the BWF World Tour Finals in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday.
After months of struggling with injuries and a lack of confidence, the Indian has turned over a new leaf in the past few weeks. The former World No. 1 made the semi-finals in two of his last three tournaments and is beginning to look like the player he once was.
There's a conviction in his play that went missing earlier. Srikanth has been playing with a lot more confidence, which was evident in his 21-14, 21-16 win over Toma Junior Popov in his opening Group B match at the BWF World Tour Finals on Wednesday.
The win helped Srikanth avenge his loss to the 33rd-ranked Frenchman at the Orleans Masters earlier in the year.
On Thursday, the Indian will look to settle scores with three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The 20-year-old Thai hasn't even conceded a game in their two meetings so far, although Srikanth ran him close in one of the two games in each match.
But with the kind of form Srikanth has shown of late, it won't be a surprise if the Indian is finally able to turn the tables on his young nemesis.
Vitidsarn also hasn't had the best of starts to his BWF World Tour Finals 2021 campaign. The Thai went down to second seed and reigning All England Open champion Lee Zii Jia 21-15, 21-16 in his opening group encounter on Wednesday.
With his confidence already shaken, it might be hard for Vitidsarn to make a winning comeback if Srikanth makes a strong start.
BWF World Tour Finals 2021: Match details
Fixture: (3/4) Kidambi Srikanth vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Head-to-head: Kunlavut Vitidsarn leads Kidambi Srikanth 2-0 in the head-to-head. The Thai beat the Indian 21-9, 21-19 at the Sudirman Cup in September this year.
Date: 2 December 2021
Time: Approx. 12:15 pm local time, 9:45 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.
