SRIKANTH STUNS WORLD NO. 1
He sets-up final with Sakai who halted Prannoy in semifinals
Coming into the tournament, I never thought really that I will reach the finals again. I am shocked to be playing back to back finals. It will take a while to digest it and then prepare for tomorrow. — K. SRIKANTH, shuttler
Jakarta, June 17: Kidambi Srikanth stunned world No.1 Son Wan Ho to enter the final but compatriot H.S. Prannoy’s journey ended at the semifinal stage of the $1,000,000 Indonesia Super Series Premier, here on Saturday.
Srikanth defeated Son 2115,18-21, 24-22 in a contest that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.
After impressive wins over Olympic silver medal winner Lee Chong Wei and Rio Games gold medallist Chen Long, Prannoy suffered a heartbreaking 21-17, 26-28, 18-21 defeat to Japanese Kazumasa Sakai in a 77minute contest.
“I am very disappointed with the result but that’s how the sport goes and can’t really complain. I probably could have taken the second game. I had 4-5 match points. I think probably I could have taken more chances in the second game.
“Overall, I didn’t play badly. Probably, I didn’t adjust to the conditions today. It was going out a lot from the other side. I wasn’t good in the second half,” he said.
Srikanth had a 2-4 headto-head record against Son, having lost their last four meetings. But it didn’t matter on Saturday at the Jakarta Convention Center.
World no. 22 Srikanth will face no. 47 Sakai on Sunday.
It is Srikanth’s fourth Super Series final, after wins at the 2014 China Open and 2015 India Open.
Srikanth took an 11-6 lead with a backhand tap at the net, maintained his advantage at18-13 to win the first game.
The Indian pulled ahead 13-10 in the second game but Son stepped up the pressure to square the contest.
The decider turned out to be a tight affair, both players matching each other in guile and technique.
At 22-22, the match could have gone either way, but Srikanth maintained his composure and remained calm to produce a precise crosscourt smash and then he returned an onrushing shot Son to claim the contest.
“Coming into the tournament, I never thought really that I will reach the final. It will take a while to digest it and then prepare for tomorrow,” Srikanth said.
He added that Ho was a tough opponent.
“It was tough and I was prepared for a long match. Whenever I play him, it is always a long match and he has been playing well of late. He is the world no. 1 now and you have to give him respect.
“I won a lot of points and also lost points when my smashes went out but that’s the way I play, it is my main scoring option. It was very close match. I was lucky there in the last point. It was a nice game. I am proud.
“I was in comfortable position in the second game also but conditions changed and I lost track. I made simple mistakes and it changed the complexion of the second game but I am very happy to make a comeback in the third game,” he explained.
Asked about opponent in the final, Srikanth said: “He has been playing very well, has beaten some top players and had a really good run from the qualifiers. I really didn’t think about the final but now that I have won, I will go back and think about it.
“I had a bad injury after the Olympics. I pushed really hard when I came back and I shouldn’t have done that.
It was tough. Losing at the India Open was a big thing, I pulled out of Malaysia and that one week training helped me to play well at Singapore.
“I want to thank my coaches. Mulyo (Handoyo) has been doing a great job. They changed the whole schedule and it is really helping us.”