Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth notched up his second successive Superseries title win with a stunning straight-game triumph over reigning Olympic and world champion Chen Long in the Australian Open summit clash on Sunday. World No 11 Srikanth won 22-20 21-16 in a 45-minute game against the Chinese World No 6.
The 24-year-old, who had reached the finals in Singapore and Indonesia before this tournament, is only the sixth player in the world to contest three successive Superseries finals.
The Indian, a semi-finalist in the last edition of the tournament, was the one to grab the early lead. Following a sedate start, Srikanth capitalised on his opponent’s rather sluggish game to clinch a 10-6 lead. But perhaps jolted by the lead he had conceded, Chen gathered himself just in time, starting with a deftly-placed smash to make it 11-11.
The Chinese shifted gears quite suddenly to add pace to the proceedings, and his baseline strokes stood out for both ferocity and accuracy. Srikanth was no pushover and played the catch-up game quite well, coming up with a couple of brilliant smashes of his own.
And it was this tenacity which got Srikanth a 17-15 lead, even though Chen continued to breathe down his neck. Not allowing the momentum to slip, the underdog earned his first game point at 20-19, helped by Chen’s erratic game.
Chen managed to save that with a rasping smash, but Srikanth’s perseverance fetched him another at 21-20 when the Chinese was foxed by a low backhand return. This time, Srikanth made no mistake and sealed the first game in 23 minutes.
The second game began with an engaging baseline rally, which ended with Srikanth smashing his way to earn the first point. The see-saw battle continued for a while before Srikanth broke away to lead 6-3, dominating the rallies with his accurately, rather awkwardly, placed shots, which Chen found difficult to return.
But Chen was not completely out of the contest. He did manage to keep the gap in check with flashes of brilliance that make him among the best in the world. However, Srikanth seemed determined to end his win-less streak against his fancied rival and led 11-9 at the lemon break of the second game.
The Indian did not let the lead slip from that point, raising his game by quite a few notches against an increasingly faltering Chen. It took Srikanth a minute less than the first game to wrap up a rather comfortable victory.
The triumph was a morale-boosting jinx-breaker for Srikanth, who had lost all his previous five encounters against Chen.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!