Srikanth Stuns World No. 9 Lai to Storm Into China Masters Quarterfinals

Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth rolled back the years with a superb fighting display, knocking out world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada in straight games to book his place in the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday.

The 33-year-old Indian produced a composed performance under pressure to prevail 21-18, 21-19, extending his impressive run on the international circuit this season.

Srikanth, a former world No. 1 and 2021 World Championships silver-medallist, had to dig deep after falling behind in both games. His attacking play, particularly his powerful jump smashes, repeatedly unsettled Lai at crucial moments.

The Canadian appeared to have the upper hand in the opening game after moving 15-11 ahead. Srikanth, however, refused to let the game slip away. He patiently worked his way back, capitalising on Lai's errors before taking control with a series of attacking shots and sharp net play.

The Indian then completed the comeback by winning six of the next seven points to close out the game 21-18.

The second game followed a similar pattern. Srikanth initially struggled with his consistency and trailed 5-9 before beginning another determined recovery.

From 9-14 down, the veteran shuttler stepped up his attack, using two powerful smashes and capitalising on Lai's mistakes to reduce the deficit. He eventually drew level at 18-18 before producing the decisive shots in the closing exchanges.

Lai sent one wide to hand Srikanth match points, and the Indian sealed the contest when another error from the Canadian sent the shuttle out.

Srikanth, who also reached the US Open Super 300 final earlier this year, will next face Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu for a place in the semifinals.

In women's singles, Tanvi Sharma fought hard against Japan's world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki but bowed out in the second round. The recent Taipei Open Super 300 champion lost 17-21, 21-18, 16-21 after failing to maintain her momentum in the deciding game.

India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also exited the tournament, losing 18-21, 18-21 to Chinese Taipei's Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin Hui in mixed doubles.