'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
If the India Open in March showed sparks of resurgence from India's ace men's singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, then Indian badminton fans were in for a disappointment. Having reached the final in Delhi, the former World No.1 failed to replicate that form in his subsequent few tournaments.
He wasn't successful in breaching the quarter-final barrier in his next five events. At the Malaysia Open and the Singapore Open, he was stopped at the quarter-finals by formidable opponents, Chen Long and Kento Momota respectively.
But his performance in his next few tournaments took a further nosedive. He lost three of his next four matches, clearly indicating his lack of confidence. His sloppy displays at the Indonesia Open and the Japan Open made him play for the third week in a row with the hope of getting some matches under his belt before the prestigious World Championships next month.
In his first round at the Thailand Open, Srikanth once again showed signs of struggle and barely managed to survive a duel with World No. 96 Ren Peng Bo that finished 21-13, 17-21, 21-19 in his favour.
That is indeed a wake-up call for the Indian who seriously needs to find that inner motivation to be able to show his champion qualities once again. Srikanth next meets World No. 32 Khosit Phetpradab, a player whom he has beaten this year at the Malaysia Open without dropping a game.
Even though he cannot afford to take his opponent lightly, his past win over him might give him some of that lost courage and inspire him to find the missing precision on his shots and go for a repeat of that result.
Here is all you need to know about the Thailand Open
Tournament: Toyota Thailand Open 2019
Category: Super 500
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Round: Second
Head-to-head: Srikanth leads 1-0
Schedule: (5) Kidambi Srikanth vs Khosit Phetpradab at 4 pm local time or 2:30 pm IST on Thursday, August 1, 2019
Where to watch the matches in India?
There is no live telecast information for the Thailand Open as of now.
Live Stream Details and Info for the matches:
Live Stream for the matches is available on Shuttle Live channel on YouTube.
