Kidambi Srikanth exits China Masters, India’s singles campaign ends

Kidambi Srikanth's China Masters Super 750 campaign ended in the quarterfinals on Friday after the former world No. 1 was beaten in straight games by Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu.

Srikanth fought hard but went down 16-21, 16-21, bringing India's singles campaign at the tournament to an end.

The 33-year-old had produced one of the standout performances of the tournament in the previous round, defeating Canada's world No. 9 Victor Lai 21-18, 21-19 to reach the last eight.

Against Lee, Srikanth made an attacking start but struggled to consistently break through his opponent's defence. Lee took control of the opening game and closed it 21-16.

The second game was more closely contested, with Srikanth staying within touching distance. The players were level at 14-14 before Lee stepped up his game in the closing stages. Srikanth managed only two more points as the Hong Kong shuttler won seven of the next nine points to seal the match.

Srikanth began his campaign with a 21-16, 21-15 win over Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu-jen before producing his upset against Lai.

The victory over Lai was particularly significant as it earned Srikanth his first Super 750 quarterfinal appearance since 2021.

However, his exit means India no longer has a singles player remaining in the tournament.

The country's hopes now rest on men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The Indian duo reached the quarterfinals after beating French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov 21-15, 22-24, 21-9.

Satwik and Chirag will face Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the quarterfinals later on Friday.