The 28-year-old former world No. 1 will be the first Indian to play in the men’s singles final. Prakash Padukone in 1983 and Sai Praneeth In 2019, she was defeated in the semi-finals of the Worlds.
As it happened: Srikkanth vs Lakshya
After winning four Super Series titles in 2017, Srikanth’s form has been on the mend and his performance in Huelva, Spain on Saturday, when he scored his first final in 34 weeks, should be his confidence in Sunday’s final.
Just when we thought this year couldn’t get better Congratulations @srikidambi for being the first man… https://t.co/hk7td76Rgh
— Bai Media (@BAI_Media) 1639852136000
It was a tough win for the 28-year-old as the 20-year-old Lakshya gave a tough time to his senior and looked like making it to the finals. Had he done so, Lakshya would have become the youngest player ever to achieve this feat.
The first game was a great match to watch. Lakshya gained an upper hand after the sixth point and went into the break to lead 11-8. Thereafter, when the youngster was leading 15-11, Srikanth came back with three smashes to level it at 16-16. However, at 17-17, Srikanth missed a sitter and found the net. They then lost the next three points with two more unforced errors.
After winning the first game, Lakshya made a strong start in the second game to lead 8-4. At this stage, Srikanth improved his game. Playing smashes with ease and swinging the target across the court, Srikanth won seven of the last eight to lead 11-9 at the break.
And he did it @srikidambi became the first male shuttler to enter the finals in #WorldChampionships after defeat… https://t.co/1rBhFrJuYB
— Bai Media (@BAI_Media) 1639851688000
Lakshya made a brief recovery, but Srikanth won the points on desire and forced Lakshya to make mistakes. Such was his dominance that he won 17 of the last 23 points and won the winner in style with a crosscourt jump smash
World number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei advanced to her first final at the Worlds with a 21-17, 13-21, 21-14 win over China’s He Bing Xiao. She will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, who lost Zhang Yi Mann China’s 21-19, 21-19.
Result (SF):
male: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind) bt Lakshya Sen (Ind) 17-21, 21-14, 21-17.
Woman: Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei) bt He Bing Xiao (CHN) 21-17, 13-21, 21-14; Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) bt Zhang Yi Mann 21-19, 21-19.
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