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What's the Story
Kidambi Srikanth has been riding on a high this season. He is currently preparing to participate in an all-Indian semifinal clash with HS Prannoy. According to a few interesting statistics, Kidambi has won 35 matches this year with China's Lin Dan in 2nd on 34. If he can defeat Prannoy in the semifinals, he will move up to 36. Since its still October, the year is not over yet. This is in stark contrast to his record last year, when he managed only 21 wins.
In Case You Didn't Know
Srikanth defeated Shi Yuqi in the quarterfinals, while Prannoy dispatched Jeon Hyeok-jin of South Korea. On the women's front, PV Sindhu also entered the semifinals and will face Akane Yamaguchi.
The Heart of the Matter
After losing the first game to Yuqi, Srikanth rebounded to clinch the tie 8-21, 21-19, 21-9 and secure his place in the semis. Meanwhile, in the other men's singles match, HS Prannoy dismantled Jeon Hyeok-jin of South Korea 21-16, 21-16 in a straight games win. Srikanth played and lost to B Sai Praneeth at the Singapore Open final. But the Saturday semi at Paris promises to be a cannon-ball fest pitting two of India’s most aggressive shuttlers against each other.
What Next?
Srikanth leads the career count 2-1, though the two must’ve sparred a zillion times against each other in practice at the academy in Hyderabad. All previous matches between the two happened in India, with Srikanth last losing in 2011 Tata Open in a tough three-game match. This was around the time Prannoy had done well in the juniors, while Srikanth was almost an unknown quantity. In subsequent matches, both in January, at Syed Modi GPG in 2014-15, Srikanth has come up trumps.
Sportskeeda's Take:
Srikanth’s unbridled and speedy attack vs Prannoy’s back-hand whip smashes will certainly make for an exciting battle. Srikanth has a clear edge at the net with more variations and sheer audacity, but Prannoy’s drive can be lethal. It will be interesting to see who wins the battle between these two. At the end of the day, however, it is Indian badminton that is the real winner though, as we are sure to see at least one Indian in the French Open Superseries final.
