"In recent times, Srikanth is undoubtedly the most complete player I have seen", declared the legendary Lin Dan in an interview The Times of India interview back in 2014. The Hyderabad player couldn't have had a better testimonial to his potential, and it came from one of the giants of the game.
As the wait continues for an Indian to win a medal in Rio 2016, Srikanth Kidambi and PV Sindhu's classy wins in the round of 16 have put them within touching distance of one. Even before the start of the Olympics, the knockout stages were expected to be a daunting prospect for the Indian shuttlers. But Kidambi and Sindhu have been giant-killers in the recent past, and they could well script an encore or two.
To be sure, Sindhu's opponent Wang Yihan is a former World No. 1, but Sindhu pulled off a major upset in last year's Denmark Open against the Chinese. And who can forget Srikanth's stunning upset against his opponent Lin Dan in the 2014 China Open?
K Srikanth vs Lin Dan (Wednesday, August 17, 6 PM IST)
Lin Dan, ranked No. 3 in the world, is obviously a formidable opponent for the 11th-ranked Kidambi. Interestingly, though, the Indian's record against the Chinese is 1-2, which means that an upset is well within his grasp.
Winning the 2014 China Open against Lin Dan was undoubtedly one of the high points of Kidambi's fledgling career.
Often regarded as the greatest men's badminton player ever, Lin Dan is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. He won all the nine badminton majors by the age of 28, earning for himself the nickname Super Dan. Now 32, he still packs a powerful game, even if he's no longer the top-ranked player in the world.
But then, reputations matter little to Kidambi. His is an aggressive, fearless kind of play, with smashes and cross-court shots mixed up admirably to keep the opponent guessing. He showed as much against Jan O Jorgensen, ranked No. 5, matching the big-hitting Dane point for point, undaunted by expectations. The long rallies in particular turned the tide in his favour.
Lin Dan is on a mission here, trying to attain Olympic immortality by winning his third straight gold medal. The five-time world champion is undoubtedly the favourite, but don't forget Srikanth's penchant for upsets.
PV Sindhu vs Wang Yihan (Wednesday, August 17, 3.25 AM IST)
PV Sindhu's opponent: Wang Yihan,
Nationality: Chinese, World Ranking: 2, Head to Head: Sindhu 2-4 Wang Yihan
If a comparison at all has to be made between Srikanth and Sindhu, it must be said that it's the women's singles player who has looked the more convincing of the two. But the style and approach to the game adopted by these players, both from Hyderabad, are similar.
Their journeys have been somewhat similar in Rio, although it's Sindhu who has had to see off more adversity in the group stages. In the deciding match, the 21-year-old, ranked 10th in the world, had to come from a game down against the 20th-ranked Michelle Li to progress to the round of 16.
In the pre-quarter final, playing against a higher-ranked Tai Tzu-ying (No. 8), Sindhu was relentless, blazing away to a terrific start to go 12-6 up in the first game. The Chinese Taipei player made a late surge, but Sindhu had already done enough to win the tie.
The script bore a stark similarity to Sindhu's win against Wang Yihan during the Denmark Open in 2015. Ranked No. 2 in the world, Wang Yihan was thrown off course as she trailed early. Sindhu kept her foot on the accelerator on that occasion to win the tie 21-18, 21-19. Admittedly, Sidhu's head-to-head record against Wang Yihan is only 2-4, but this is probably her best chance to make it 3-4.
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