China Masters: Kidambi Srikanth stuns world No. 9 Victor Lai to enter quarterfinals

Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth continued his strong form by stunning World No. 9 Victor Lai at the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen on Thursday.

Playing an aggressive game, the former World No. 1 knocked out the reigning two-time World Championships bronze medallist in straight games, 21-18, 21-19, to advance to the quarterfinals.

Victor had earlier defeated Lakshya Sen in the first round but was shocked by Kidambi in their first-ever meeting.

The Indian had a slow start to the match, trailing 3-7 and later 10-14 in the opening game, but staged a strong comeback to level the score at 15-15.

He maintained the momentum with powerful smashes and claimed six of the next nine points to seal the first game 21-18.

Victor again made a strong start in the second game, racing to a 14-10 lead and holding an advantage at 18-15.

However, the 33-year-old continued to fight back, levelling the score at 18-19 before winning the final three points to close out the match.

Kidambi will next face Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu on Friday, whom he has not beaten in their three previous meetings and trails 1-3 in the head-to-head record.

Tanvi fell short in a three-game thriller

The 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma came close to a big win but fell just short in three games to world no. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan, 17-21, 21-18, 16-21.

Tanvi was in a good position to convert this win, having a 10-7 lead in the decider, but the teenager lost momentum post-mid-game and conceded 9 of the last 13 points to lose the match.

This was the second meeting between the two players this year, and for the second time Tomoka came out on top in three games, following the Indonesia Masters first round.

More to follow..