Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of the Japan Open Super Series 2017 and in our second game of the day, we will see Srikanth Kidambi face off against Viktor Axelsen for a place in the last four. Their previous encounter at the India Open 2017 was a forgettable one for the Indian, as he lost out tamely 21-7 21-12. This time around though, he will look to avenge the defeat and seal his berth in the semifinal.
Srikanth had a tough start to the tournament, drawn against Tian Houwei in the first, against who he had a 1-6 win/loss record. He triumphed 21-15 12-21 21-11 though and in the second round, he had a relatively easier outing against Hu Yun, who he defeated in straight games 21-12 21-11.
Axelsen, who is the third seed in this year's draw in Japan, has won his last two matches convincingly. The recently-crowned World Champion got past Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand in his opener, winning 21-8 21-13 and in the next round, he defeated Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-17 21-18 to enter the last eight.
The duo of Srikanth and Axelsen are tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head so far, with the Dane winning their most recent encounter in Delhi.
Join us as we bring you the latest updates from the match. Stay tuned to this space!