Kidambi Srikanth turns back the clock, knocks out Victor Lai at China Masters

Kidambi Srikanth produced a vintage display to beat World Championships medalist Victor Lai in straight games and reach the China Masters quarter-finals. The win kept India's men's singles campaign alive and marked his first top-10 victory of the season.Kidambi Srikanth defeated Victor Lai in straight games in China Masters (Courtesy: Badminton Photo)A day after Lakshya Sen lost to Victor Lai in the China Masters, veteran shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated the World No. 9 Canadian in straight games in the Round of 16. Srikanth produced a vintage show, winning 21-18, 21-19 in 43 minutes in Shenzhen on Thursday, September 3.Srikanth celebrated the biggest win of his season by punching the air in delight, ensuring India's challenge in men's singles at the prestigious Super 750 tournament remained alive.It was Srikanth's first win over a top-10 player on the tour this year and the first time he has reached the quarter-finals of a Super 500 tournament or above. Srikanth came up with a steady show, never allowing Victor Lai to dominate proceedings on Court 3. The former World No. 1 was willing to engage with Lai at the net, flaunting his class and deft touches to win points. The 33-year-old ensured he lifted long and took away a lot of attacking options from the Canadian's game.Srikanth was trailing 11-15 in the opening game but produced a dominant run of five points to take the lead. He used the momentum that came his way to race ahead and win the opening game. Playing from the near side in the second game, Srikanth initially struggled to adjust to the conditions, trailing 10-14 and 15-18, but he closed the gap and ensured a decider was not played. Srikanth turned defence into attack wonderfully well, while his dominance in the forecourt helped him overcome Lai, who has been in red-hot form after recently winning his second World Championships medal in New Delhi.It was encouraging to see Srikanth show flashes of his vintage self, especially after having missed the World Championships at home. Ranked 33rd, Srikanth has endured a tough year, winning 13 matches and losing as many so far. Amid a series of early exits, Srikanth showed glimpses of form when he reached the final of the US Open Super 300 in June. A good run in the China Masters will give Srikanth a lot of confidence before the Asian Games this year. While he will not be playing singles in the individual events, Srikanth's experience will be crucial to India's team-event medal chances at the quadrennial multi-sport event in Japan.TANVI SHARMA LOSESHowever, there was disappointment in women's singles as rising star Tanvi Sharma lost to World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in a marathon second-round match that stretched for an hour and six minutes. Tanvi won the opening game 21-17, but she was outclassed 18-21, 16-21 in the next two. In the decider, Tanvi led by a point at the break, but she fell behind 13-17, a gap that became too big to close.The 17-year-old Tanvi, who hails from Punjab, has had a breakthrough season, winning the Taipei Open Super 300 in July and crossing initial hurdles in major tournaments.With Tanvi's defeat, India's challenge in women's singles came to an end as Unnati Hooda and Devika Shaig had lost earlier in Shenzhen.Earlier on Thursday, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost to Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui of Taipei in the mixed doubles pre-quarter-finals.Later in the day, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action against the Popov brothers in the men's doubles pre-quarter-finals.- EndsPublished By: Akshay RameshPublished On: Sep 3, 2026 12:21 IST