Badminton
German Open 2026: Kidambi Srikanth bows out in R16; ends India's campaign
The lone Indian in the second round faced a straight-game defeat to Lin Chun Yi of Chinese Taipei.
Kidambi Srikanth in action. (File Photo)
Former World Medalist Kidambi Srikanth faced a pre-quarterfinal exit at the 2026 BWF German Open Super 300 tournament in Mülheim, Germany, on Thursday.
The lone Indian in the second round of the tournament lost in straight games to much higher-ranked Lin Chun Yi of Chinese Taipei, 14-21, 9-21.
This was the second meeting between the two players, where Kidambi has yet to find a win against his younger opponent and is now trailing 0-2 on the head-to-head record.
The 33-year-old had a very good start to the match, gaining a good 4-point lead over Lin, but then momentum shifted and the youngster won 10 of the last 14 points in game1.
Kidambi couldn't recover from this and disappointingly conceded the second game without even crossing the double digit, bringing an end to India's campaign in Germany.
This was his third consecutive second-round exit on the world tour this year after the India Open and Indonesia Masters, and he will aim to find his rhythm back in the coming events.