Canada Open: Srikanth downs world No.6 Chou Tien Chen to enter semis
India’s Kidambi Srikanth continued his fine form by advancing to the semifinal at the Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament with a commanding straight-game win over top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
The former world championship silver medallist, who was a finalist at the Malaysia Masters in May, outplayed world No. 6 Chen 21-18, 21-9 in a 43-minute quarterfinal clash on Saturday (IST).
Srikanth outclasses Chinese Taipei’s Wang Po-Wei 21-19, 21-14 in 40 minutes to setup his quarterfinal clash against Chou Tien Chen.
Currently ranked 49th in the world, Srikanth will now face Japan’s third seed Kenta Nishimoto for a spot in the final.
Srikanth holds a 6-4 lead in the head-to-head record against the 30-year-old Kenta Nishimoto. The Indian had defeated the Japanese shuttler in straight games at the last World Championships - despite Nishimoto often posing challenges for other Indian players. Known for his dogged court coverage, Nishimoto has been a consistent performer this season.
He earned his semifinal spot with a hard-fought 21-15, 5-21, 21-17 win over India’s Sankar Muthusamy Subramaniam.
In women’s singles, India’s promising teenager Shriyanshi Valishetty bowed out after a gritty contest against Denmark’s 24-year-old Amalie Schulz, losing 21-12, 19-21, 19-21.
Shriyanshi mounted late comebacks in both the second and third games but never managed to take the lead after winning the opening game. In the decider, she closed a 9-17 gap to reach 19-20, but narrowly fell short, concluding a commendable North American tour.
