Srikanth Reaches Maiden BWC Finals Outclassing Sen
- Kidambhi Srikanth hailed compatriot Lakshya Sen making it to the finals.
- A slender score of 16-15, clocking 19-16 grabbed Srikanth the chance to finale.
- He is the first Indian man to reach the finals of the BWF World Badminton Championships.
Kidambi Srikanth scripted history on Saturday becoming the first Indian man to reach the finals of the BWF World Badminton Championships with a win against compatriot Lakshya Sen.
In a historic all-Indian men’s singles semifinal, the 28-year-old player bet Sen at 17-21 21-14 21-17 in a thrilling contest that lasted an hour and nine minutes.While Srikanth would now compete for thr gold, Sen signed off with a maiden bronze, joining the legendary Prakash Padukone (bronze in 1983) and B Sai Praneeth (bronze in 2019) as the Indian medal winners at the marquee even.
It was a memorable moment for the badminton fraternity of country when the world number 14 shuttler, made it to finals as he had endured injuries and a loss of form which is why he missed the Tokyo Olympics this year.The two initially staged a tight competition, with a neck to neck score of 4-4. However, Srikanth soon drew parity with a cross-court smash. It was until the interval where Srikanth showcased his real force and valor, quashing Sen at 8-4 smash. Srikanth grabbed a narrow lead at 16-15 before making it 19-16 with a cross-court smash.
By far, P V Sindhu won two silvers and bronze along with the coveted gold in 2019, while the women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had also won a bronze, in 2011. Ace shuttler, Saina Nehwal has clinched a silver and a bronze to her name in the marquee event.
