Indian star shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who with his recent French Open win became the first Indian to lift four Super Series title, believes that badminton has become more open now with mini players lifting titles.

Asked if Lin Dan (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) are at the end of their careers as they are consistently losing in Super Series tournaments, Srikanth said, &quot;For a long time, they have dominated. But now it has become more open. Me, Viktor (Axelsen) and even other Indian players are winning tournaments. The mini players are doing really well.&quot;

&quot;I can&#39;t really say it is the end for them. They have seen the highest level and have the experience to come back. You can&#39;t take them easy. It will be really tough every time we play them,&quot; he told media here on Tuesday.

Srikanth who was felicitated at the Gopichand Academy, after his recent win, said the French Open was really a tough fight.

&quot;With top players losing in initial rounds, there were so many thoughts running in my mind, but still I told myself that I thought of taking it round by round and not about winning,&quot; the decorated player said.

Srikanth, who might become World no. 1 by the end of the year, admitted that ranking really doesn&#39;t matter to him.

The 24-year-old said, &quot;To be frank, after the injury I suffered last year and started fresh this year I really did not think too much about the rankings. It is just to keep playing tournaments and enjoy playing the game.&quot;

&quot;If you consistently do well, rankings do improve. I do not want to run behind the rankings, I really want to play well in the tournaments,&quot; he said.

Srikanth who clinched the Denmark Open Super Series Premier, the Indonesia Open Super Series and Australian Open Super Series &nbsp;earlier this year believed that his changed mindset has helped him to attain a menacing form.

&quot;The overall mindset has changed. These days I am ready to play longer matches and not scared to do so. This really gives you a lot of confidence when you are playing top level players,&quot; he said.

Srikanth, the six Super Series title holder, also said that Indian shuttlers have just started to perform and will have to maintain their consistency for next couple of years for other nations to say they are scared of Indian players

Kidambi Srikanth after winning the French Open.

Indian star shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who with his recent French Open win became the first Indian to lift four Super Series title, believes that badminton has become more open now with mini players lifting titles. Asked if Lin Dan (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) are at the end of their careers as they are consistently losing in Super Series tournaments, Srikanth said, "For a long time, they have dominated. But now it has become more open. Me, Viktor (Axelsen) and even other Indian players are winning tournaments. The mini players are doing really well." "I can't really say it is the end for them. They have seen the highest level and have the experience to come back. You can't take them easy. It will be really tough every time we play them," he told media here on Tuesday. Srikanth who was felicitated at the Gopichand Academy, after his recent win, said the French Open was really a tough fight. "With top players losing in initial rounds, there were so many thoughts running in my mind, but still I told myself that I thought of taking it round by round and not about winning," the decorated player said. Srikanth, who might become World no. 1 by the end of the year, admitted that ranking really doesn't matter to him. The 24-year-old said, "To be frank, after the injury I suffered last year and started fresh this year I really did not think too much about the rankings. It is just to keep playing tournaments and enjoy playing the game." "If you consistently do well, rankings do improve. I do not want to run behind the rankings, I really want to play well in the tournaments," he said. Srikanth who clinched the Denmark Open Super Series Premier, the Indonesia Open Super Series and Australian Open Super Series earlier this year believed that his changed mindset has helped him to attain a menacing form. "The overall mindset has changed. These days I am ready to play longer matches and not scared to do so. This really gives you a lot of confidence when you are playing top level players," he said. Srikanth, the six Super Series title holder, also said that Indian shuttlers have just started to perform and will have to maintain their consistency for next couple of years for other nations to say they are scared of Indian players

Kidambi Srikanth believes 'mini' players dominating world badminton now

India&#39;s Kidambi Srikanth&#39;s dream season continued as he brushed aside the challenge of Japan&#39;s Kenta Nishimoto in straight games to win the French Open Super Series men&#39;s singles title, on Sunday.

Having already completed a hat-trick of Super Series titles, Srikanth won his fourth title of the season. Srikanth seeded eight in the tournament, took just 34 minutes to get the better of his Japanese opponent 21-14, 21-13 in the summit clash.

The win ensured Srikanth, who played his fifth Super Series final this season, bag his second consecutive title in two weeks after winning the Denmark Open in Odense last week. Srikanth, thus, became only fourth men&#39;s singles player to win four or more Super Series titles in a calendar year.

Going by Srikanth&#39;s current form, it was expected to be a one-sided summit clash and it turned out to be one, except for the first few points of the opening game which was a neck- and-neck fight between the two shuttlers.

It was Nishimoto, who started brightly to race to a 9-5 lead before Srikanth fought back to draw level at 9-9. From there on it was no looking back as the Indian used his court coverage and superior technique to take a 14-10 lead.

Nishimoto did manage to take some points to reduce the margin to 15-14 before Srikanth used his experience at the highest level to pocket six straight points and win the first game. Srikanth continued his good form in the second game and won five straight points to take a commanding 10-2 lead.

Nishimoto tried his best to force a comeback and managed to reduce the margin to 13-8 but the Indian showed his class and superiority in crunch situations to keep his lead intact and win the game 21-13 and claim his second consecutive title in as many weeks.

Kidambi beat Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-13, 21-14

India's Kidambi Srikanth's dream season continued as he brushed aside the challenge of Japan's Kenta Nishimoto in straight games to win the French Open Super Series men's singles title, on Sunday. Having already completed a hat-trick of Super Series titles, Srikanth won his fourth title of the season. Srikanth seeded eight in the tournament, took just 34 minutes to get the better of his Japanese opponent 21-14, 21-13 in the summit clash. The win ensured Srikanth, who played his fifth Super Series final this season, bag his second consecutive title in two weeks after winning the Denmark Open in Odense last week. Srikanth, thus, became only fourth men's singles player to win four or more Super Series titles in a calendar year. Going by Srikanth's current form, it was expected to be a one-sided summit clash and it turned out to be one, except for the first few points of the opening game which was a neck- and-neck fight between the two shuttlers. It was Nishimoto, who started brightly to race to a 9-5 lead before Srikanth fought back to draw level at 9-9. From there on it was no looking back as the Indian used his court coverage and superior technique to take a 14-10 lead. Nishimoto did manage to take some points to reduce the margin to 15-14 before Srikanth used his experience at the highest level to pocket six straight points and win the first game. Srikanth continued his good form in the second game and won five straight points to take a commanding 10-2 lead. Nishimoto tried his best to force a comeback and managed to reduce the margin to 13-8 but the Indian showed his class and superiority in crunch situations to keep his lead intact and win the game 21-13 and claim his second consecutive title in as many weeks.

French Open: Kidambi Srikanth wins final, fourth Super Series of 2017

India`s Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Kidambi Srikanth reached the quarter-finals, while B. Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championships here on Thursday. 
 
Sindhu, a double World Championships bronze medallist, earned a hard-fought win over Hong Kong 13th seed Cheung Ngan Yi 19-21, 23-21, 21-17 in an hour and 27 minutes. 
 
In the next round, Sindhu will face Chinese fifth seed Sun Yu, who got past Spanish 15th seed Beatriz Corrales 21-16, 21-19. 
 
Saina, seeded 12th, registered a morale-boosting 21-19, 21-15 win over South Korean second seed Sung ji Hyun. 
 
Meanwhile, Chinese teenager Chen Yufei stunned Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-19. 
 
In the men`s singles, eighth seed Srikanth registered a 21-14, 21-18 win over Danish 14th seed Anders Antonsen. 
 
The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13. 
 
Chinese fifth seed and defending champions Chen Long crushed Indian 13th seed Jayaram 21-11, 21-10 to book his place in the quarter-finals. 
 
Praneeth, 15th seed, lost to Chinese Taipei sixth seed Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 10-21, 12-21 in an hour and one minute. 
 
Five-time world champion and Chinese seventh seed Lin Dan fought back from one game down to defeat England`s Rajiv Ouseph 14-21, 21-17, 21-16. 
 
Pranaav and Sikki, the 15th seeds, battled hard as they came close to upsetting the Indonesian seventh seeds Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto but the latter prevailed 20-22, 21-18, 21-18. 
 
With the loss of Pranaav and Sikki, India`s doubles campaign in the tournament came to an end.

The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13

India`s Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Kidambi Srikanth reached the quarter-finals, while B. Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championships here on Thursday. Sindhu, a double World Championships bronze medallist, earned a hard-fought win over Hong Kong 13th seed Cheung Ngan Yi 19-21, 23-21, 21-17 in an hour and 27 minutes. In the next round, Sindhu will face Chinese fifth seed Sun Yu, who got past Spanish 15th seed Beatriz Corrales 21-16, 21-19. Saina, seeded 12th, registered a morale-boosting 21-19, 21-15 win over South Korean second seed Sung ji Hyun. Meanwhile, Chinese teenager Chen Yufei stunned Japanese top seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-19. In the men`s singles, eighth seed Srikanth registered a 21-14, 21-18 win over Danish 14th seed Anders Antonsen. The next opponent for Srikanth will be South Korean top seed Son Wan Ho, who edged past Thai 11th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 21-13. Chinese fifth seed and defending champions Chen Long crushed Indian 13th seed Jayaram 21-11, 21-10 to book his place in the quarter-finals. Praneeth, 15th seed, lost to Chinese Taipei sixth seed Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 10-21, 12-21 in an hour and one minute. Five-time world champion and Chinese seventh seed Lin Dan fought back from one game down to defeat England`s Rajiv Ouseph 14-21, 21-17, 21-16. Pranaav and Sikki, the 15th seeds, battled hard as they came close to upsetting the Indonesian seventh seeds Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto but the latter prevailed 20-22, 21-18, 21-18. With the loss of Pranaav and Sikki, India`s doubles campaign in the tournament came to an end.

Sindhu, Saina, Srikanth enter quarters of World Badminton Championship

Saina Nehwal led the charge as Indian juggernaut continued to roll at the World Badminton Championship with Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth entering the pre- quarterfinals of singles events, on Wednesday.

After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France&#39;s Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal.

In women&#39;s doubles second round matches, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy went down fighting against the second seed Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark 22-24, 21-17, 15-21. The other Indian pair Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil suffered straight games defeat 14-21, 15-21 at the hands of Bao Yixin and Yu Xiaohan of China.

Sameer Verma&#39;s campaign ended with a second round 20-22, 9-21 defeat against England&#39;s Rajiv Ouseph whereas Ajay Jayaram got the better of Mark Caljouw of Netherlands 21-13, 21-18 to enter pre-quarterfinals. 
London Olympics bronze medalist Saina hardly broke a sweat as she cruised past her Swiss rival 21-11, 21-12 in just 33 minutes.

&quot;It was a tricky match I felt. Sabrina is a formidable opponent but I am happy that I overpowered her nicely in the match,&quot; 12th seed Saina said after the match.

&quot;I think it is always tough to play first round but once you get used to the conditions, it gets better and better.&quot;

Saina will next take on second seed Sung Ji Hyun, who defeated India&#39;s Tanvi Lad 21-9, 21-19. The 2010 Commonwealth Games champion has a 7-2 head-to-head record against the Korean and most recently she beat her at the Australian Open in June.

World No 8 Srikanth also dished out a clinical performance, beating Lucas 21-9, 21-17 to set up a clash with 14th seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark on Thursday.

Earlier, Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth bounced back from a game down to outwit World No 26 Indonesian Anthony 14-21, 21-18, 21-19 that lasted an hour and 12 minutes.

&quot;It was a very tough match. The shuttles were really slow and so the rallies went longer. I was getting caught initially and he was playing very fast. I could not match him initially but slowly adjusted to his speed. He is a tough player and his game has improved a lot since I last played him.

&quot;I am really happy to win and now I am focused on my next match,&quot; added the World No. 19 Praneeth will take on either Germany&#39;s Marc Zwiebler or Chinese Taipei&#39;s Chou Tien Chen tomorrow.

A silver medalist at Jakarta edition in 2015, Saina, who received a bye in the opening round, stamped her authority right from the start as she zoomed to a 4-0 lead before making it 11-6.

The Swiss tried her bit and came as close as 9-13 before Saina reeled off five straight points and eventually wrapped the opening game in 14 minutes.

In the second game, Saina once again opened up a 5-2 lead and had a 11-7 advantage at the interval. The Indian did not take the foot off the pedal and dished out a series of body smashes to surge to victory.

On the adjacent court, Praneeth was facing the fire of Anthony, who cruised to a 8-0 lead and then jumped to a 16-6 advantage. The gap was too much for Praneeth to bridge as he lost the first game.

The Indian got his bearing back and put up a better effort in the second game, reaching a 7-4 and 11-9 advantage at the break.

Leading 14-12, Praneeth had to take a medical timeout and when the game resumed, Anthony managed to grab a slender 16-15 lead but the Indian did not let the opportunity slip as he soon turned the tables on his rival to roar back into contest.

In the decider, Praneeth opened up a 6-2 lead but Anthony managed to grab a 11-9 lead at the breather. After the interval, Anthony managed to surge to a 18-12 advantage.

But a gritty Praneeth erased a six-point deficit to grab two match point advantage at 20-18. Anthony saved one but the Indian sealed it next to reach the next round.

Srikanth, on the other hand, didn&#39;t have much issue getting past Lucas.

The 24-year-old from Guntur split the initial 10 points with Lucas, before changing gears to hold a 11-6 lead. The Indian used his prcise smashes to good use to accumulate points, moving to a 19-9 advantage.

He moved to game point when Lucas faltered with a return at forecourt. The French shuttler then attempted a drop which found the net as Srikanth won the first game in 12 minutes.

Srikanth brought more power to his smashes and precision to his returns to once again surge to 11-7 lead in the second game. Lucas erased the deficit and clawed back at 15-15 but the Indian soon moved ahead and sealed the issue when his rival went wide.

&nbsp;

After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France's Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal

Saina Nehwal led the charge as Indian juggernaut continued to roll at the World Badminton Championship with Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth entering the pre- quarterfinals of singles events, on Wednesday. After Saina brushed aside the challenge of Sabrina Jaquet in straight games and Praneeth survived a scare from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Srikanth steamrolled France's Lucas Corvee to keep India in the hunt for a medal. In women's doubles second round matches, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy went down fighting against the second seed Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark 22-24, 21-17, 15-21. The other Indian pair Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil suffered straight games defeat 14-21, 15-21 at the hands of Bao Yixin and Yu Xiaohan of China. Sameer Verma's campaign ended with a second round 20-22, 9-21 defeat against England's Rajiv Ouseph whereas Ajay Jayaram got the better of Mark Caljouw of Netherlands 21-13, 21-18 to enter pre-quarterfinals. London Olympics bronze medalist Saina hardly broke a sweat as she cruised past her Swiss rival 21-11, 21-12 in just 33 minutes. "It was a tricky match I felt. Sabrina is a formidable opponent but I am happy that I overpowered her nicely in the match," 12th seed Saina said after the match. "I think it is always tough to play first round but once you get used to the conditions, it gets better and better." Saina will next take on second seed Sung Ji Hyun, who defeated India's Tanvi Lad 21-9, 21-19. The 2010 Commonwealth Games champion has a 7-2 head-to-head record against the Korean and most recently she beat her at the Australian Open in June. World No 8 Srikanth also dished out a clinical performance, beating Lucas 21-9, 21-17 to set up a clash with 14th seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark on Thursday. Earlier, Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth bounced back from a game down to outwit World No 26 Indonesian Anthony 14-21, 21-18, 21-19 that lasted an hour and 12 minutes. "It was a very tough match. The shuttles were really slow and so the rallies went longer. I was getting caught initially and he was playing very fast. I could not match him initially but slowly adjusted to his speed. He is a tough player and his game has improved a lot since I last played him. "I am really happy to win and now I am focused on my next match," added the World No. 19 Praneeth will take on either Germany's Marc Zwiebler or Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen tomorrow. A silver medalist at Jakarta edition in 2015, Saina, who received a bye in the opening round, stamped her authority right from the start as she zoomed to a 4-0 lead before making it 11-6. The Swiss tried her bit and came as close as 9-13 before Saina reeled off five straight points and eventually wrapped the opening game in 14 minutes. In the second game, Saina once again opened up a 5-2 lead and had a 11-7 advantage at the interval. The Indian did not take the foot off the pedal and dished out a series of body smashes to surge to victory. On the adjacent court, Praneeth was facing the fire of Anthony, who cruised to a 8-0 lead and then jumped to a 16-6 advantage. The gap was too much for Praneeth to bridge as he lost the first game. The Indian got his bearing back and put up a better effort in the second game, reaching a 7-4 and 11-9 advantage at the break. Leading 14-12, Praneeth had to take a medical timeout and when the game resumed, Anthony managed to grab a slender 16-15 lead but the Indian did not let the opportunity slip as he soon turned the tables on his rival to roar back into contest. In the decider, Praneeth opened up a 6-2 lead but Anthony managed to grab a 11-9 lead at the breather. After the interval, Anthony managed to surge to a 18-12 advantage. But a gritty Praneeth erased a six-point deficit to grab two match point advantage at 20-18. Anthony saved one but the Indian sealed it next to reach the next round. Srikanth, on the other hand, didn't have much issue getting past Lucas. The 24-year-old from Guntur split the initial 10 points with Lucas, before changing gears to hold a 11-6 lead. The Indian used his prcise smashes to good use to accumulate points, moving to a 19-9 advantage. He moved to game point when Lucas faltered with a return at forecourt. The French shuttler then attempted a drop which found the net as Srikanth won the first game in 12 minutes. Srikanth brought more power to his smashes and precision to his returns to once again surge to 11-7 lead in the second game. Lucas erased the deficit and clawed back at 15-15 but the Indian soon moved ahead and sealed the issue when his rival went wide.

World Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal, Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth enter pre-quarters

India&#39;s Kidambi Srikanth beat reigning Olympic champion Chen Long to lift the Australia&nbsp;Open Super Series event.

This is the world number eleven&#39;s second Super Series win in as many weeks.

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2nd successive Superseries title for Srikanth Kidambi. Defeats the Olympic champion Chen Long 22-20, 21-16 to become <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AustraliaSS?src=hash">#AustraliaSS</a> champion! <a href="https://t.co/zUG6jyqS67">pic.twitter.com/zUG6jyqS67</a>
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Srikanth&#39;s attacking display was mesmerising as he&nbsp;beat Long in straight sets 22-20 21-16 to win his maiden Australia Open Super Series event.

This was Srikanth&#39;s first win against the reigning Olympic champion, and it came after he played ten matches in two weeks.

Srikanth, who has been ranked as high as number three in the world, has had a stellar 2017 by reaching the final of Singapore Open and winning the Indonesia Open last week.

Srikanth beat world number one Son Wan Ho for the second time a fortnight en route to winning the title.

Born in Guntur in India&#39;s Andhra Pradesh state, the 24-year-old shot to international fame when he beat double Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan in the China Open in 2014.

&nbsp;

This is Srikanth's second Super Series win in as many weeks

India's Kidambi Srikanth beat reigning Olympic champion Chen Long to lift the Australia Open Super Series event. This is the world number eleven's second Super Series win in as many weeks. 2nd successive Superseries title for Srikanth Kidambi. Defeats the Olympic champion Chen Long 22-20, 21-16 to become #AustraliaSS champion! pic.twitter.com/zUG6jyqS67 — BAI Media (@BAI_Media) June 25, 2017 × Srikanth's attacking display was mesmerising as he beat Long in straight sets 22-20 21-16 to win his maiden Australia Open Super Series event. This was Srikanth's first win against the reigning Olympic champion, and it came after he played ten matches in two weeks. Srikanth, who has been ranked as high as number three in the world, has had a stellar 2017 by reaching the final of Singapore Open and winning the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth beat world number one Son Wan Ho for the second time a fortnight en route to winning the title. Born in Guntur in India's Andhra Pradesh state, the 24-year-old shot to international fame when he beat double Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan in the China Open in 2014.

Kidambi Srikanth beats Olympic champion Chen Long to lift Australia Open

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth reached his third successive Super Series final by beating Yuqi Shi in straight sets at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The world number 11 took just 27 minutes to beat his opponent 21-10 21-14 to get an opportunity win his 12 senior title of his career.

He will face either China&#39;s Chen Long or South Korea&#39;s&nbsp;Lee Hyun Il in the final.

Srikanth, who has been ranked as high as number three in the world, has had a stellar 2017 by reaching the final of Singapore Open and winning the Indonesia Open last week.

Srikanth beat world number one Son Wan Ho for the second time in as many weeks to reach the final of the Super Series event.

Born in Guntur in India&#39;s Andhra Pradesh state, the 24-year-old shot to international fame when he beat double Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan in the China Open in 2014.

&nbsp;

The world number 11 will face either China's Chen Long or South Korea's?Lee Hyun Il in the final.

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth reached his third successive Super Series final by beating Yuqi Shi in straight sets at the Australian Open on Saturday. The world number 11 took just 27 minutes to beat his opponent 21-10 21-14 to get an opportunity win his 12 senior title of his career. He will face either China's Chen Long or South Korea's Lee Hyun Il in the final. Srikanth, who has been ranked as high as number three in the world, has had a stellar 2017 by reaching the final of Singapore Open and winning the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth beat world number one Son Wan Ho for the second time in as many weeks to reach the final of the Super Series event. Born in Guntur in India's Andhra Pradesh state, the 24-year-old shot to international fame when he beat double Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan in the China Open in 2014.

Kidambi Srikanth reaches final of Australia Open

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a rich vein of form as he bounced back from a game down against reigning world number one&nbsp;Son Wan Ho to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super Series in Sydney on Thursday.

After losing the first game, the 24-year-old Indian rebounded strongly to clinch a 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 win over Wan Ho in a gruelling second-round clash that lasted almost an hour.

Srikanth, who entered the tournament on the back of his maiden Indonesia Super Series Premier title, has defeated Wan Ho for the second time in two weeks.

The Indian shuttler had beaten the South Korean ace in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth has now set up a last-eight clash against his fellow countryman B&nbsp;Sai Praneeth.

Praneeth cemented his place in the quarter-finals of the tournament after brushing aside China&#39;s Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 in his men&#39;s singles clash that lasted one hour and five minutes.

Meanwhile, Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will also look to storm into the last eight when they play their respective women&#39;s singles second rounds later today.&nbsp;

(ANI)

Kidambi Srikanth beat the world's top-ranked player Son Wan to mark his place in the quarter finals

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a rich vein of form as he bounced back from a game down against reigning world number one Son Wan Ho to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super Series in Sydney on Thursday. After losing the first game, the 24-year-old Indian rebounded strongly to clinch a 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 win over Wan Ho in a gruelling second-round clash that lasted almost an hour. Srikanth, who entered the tournament on the back of his maiden Indonesia Super Series Premier title, has defeated Wan Ho for the second time in two weeks. The Indian shuttler had beaten the South Korean ace in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open last week. Srikanth has now set up a last-eight clash against his fellow countryman B Sai Praneeth. Praneeth cemented his place in the quarter-finals of the tournament after brushing aside China's Huang Yuxiang 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 in his men's singles clash that lasted one hour and five minutes. Meanwhile, Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will also look to storm into the last eight when they play their respective women's singles second rounds later today. (ANI)

Badminton: Srikanth, Praneeth enter Australia Open quarter-finals

Kidambi Srikanth beat Japan&#39;s Kazumasa Sakai in straight sets to become the first Indian male shuttler to lift&nbsp;Indonesia Super Series Premier singles title.

The world number 22 beat the Japanese qualifier 21-11 21-19 in 37 minutes to win the $1 million event.

Srikanth had beaten world number one&nbsp;Son Wan-Hoon in the second semi-final on Saturday. The other notable scalp en route to winning the event was&nbsp;world no 9 Jan O Jorgensen.

This is the 24-year-old shuttler&#39;s second Super Series event. He had won the China Open in 2014, beating badminton legend Lin Dan in the final.

After a relatively modest 2016, Srikanth has been in purple vein of form in the last few months. He had reached the final of at Singapore Open where he lost to his compatriot B Sai Praneeth.

&nbsp;

World number 22 Srikanth had beaten the number one and number nine player in the world en route to winning his second Super Series title

Kidambi Srikanth beat Japan's Kazumasa Sakai in straight sets to become the first Indian male shuttler to lift Indonesia Super Series Premier singles title. The world number 22 beat the Japanese qualifier 21-11 21-19 in 37 minutes to win the $1 million event. Srikanth had beaten world number one Son Wan-Hoon in the second semi-final on Saturday. The other notable scalp en route to winning the event was world no 9 Jan O Jorgensen. This is the 24-year-old shuttler's second Super Series event. He had won the China Open in 2014, beating badminton legend Lin Dan in the final. After a relatively modest 2016, Srikanth has been in purple vein of form in the last few months. He had reached the final of at Singapore Open where he lost to his compatriot B Sai Praneeth.

Kidambi Srikanth creates history by winning Indonesia Open

Promising Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth clinched his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open after defeating compatriot K Srikanth in a historic all-Indian final here today.

World number 30 Praneeth, who had won the Canada Open Grand Prix last year and reached the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final this year, outmaneuvered Srikanth 17-21 21-17 21-12 in the summit clash of the USD 350,000 event.

&quot;It&#39;s always difficult to play someone with whom you play everyday. I am very happy to win today. The way I played in the tournament, I&#39;m very happy. The support here for the Indians has also been very nice,&quot; an overwhelmed Praneeth said after the 54-minute clash.

It was the first time in the history of international badminton that two Indians were playing a Super Series final and it turned out to be a thrilling contest.

The two trainees of the Gopichand academy exploited every chink that they were aware of in each other&#39;s game.

In the first game, Srikanth played some angled shots to set up his points and then used his accurate smashes to seal them. He gathered many points on Praneeth&#39;s forehand with his brilliant returns.

Srikanth started with two lame returns but as the game progressed, he showed his class to outmaneuver his compatriot.

The duo didn&#39;t go for long rallies and varied the pace with their repertoire of strokes.

It was Srikanth who grabbed an 11-7 advantage during the first break with a cross-court smash which Praneeth couldn&#39;t return despite a full stretch dive.

Praneeth too made Srikanth run for every point before closing in to make it 14-15.

Srikanth did not relent either and came up with down the line smashes to grab five game points.

In the second game, Srikanth rushed to a 4-1 lead but Praneeth clawed back at 7-7. The duo, which trains together at the Gopichand Academy, moved neck-and-neck till 10-10 before Praneeth grabbed a one-point advantage with Srikanth hitting wide.

Praneeth continued to dominate the proceedings and moved to a 20-17 lead when Srikanth made a service error. He then roared back into the contest when his compatriot hit wide.

In the decider, Praneeth carried the momentum and surged to a 7-3 lead which he consolidated to 11-5 at the break. It was another towering smash on Srikanth&#39;s backhand which gave him the lead.

The change of court didn&#39;t break Praneeth&#39;s rhythm as he continued to trouble Srikanth with his array of strokes and better net-play.

In the end, a drop shot gave Praneeth a 19-12 lead and Srikanth handed him the match point when he hit wide. Praneeth made it count to seal his first Super Series title when his compatriot again hit wide.

Ever since bursting onto the scene by winning the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010, Praneeth has managed to outwit some accomplished shuttlers such as former All England Champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat and World No.1 Lee Chong Wei.

But a win eluded him as he battled with a series of injuries to make early exits. However, things brightened up last year when he won in Canada.

(PTI)

This was the first time two Indians were playing in a final of a Super Series event

Promising Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth clinched his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open after defeating compatriot K Srikanth in a historic all-Indian final here today. World number 30 Praneeth, who had won the Canada Open Grand Prix last year and reached the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final this year, outmaneuvered Srikanth 17-21 21-17 21-12 in the summit clash of the USD 350,000 event. "It's always difficult to play someone with whom you play everyday. I am very happy to win today. The way I played in the tournament, I'm very happy. The support here for the Indians has also been very nice," an overwhelmed Praneeth said after the 54-minute clash. It was the first time in the history of international badminton that two Indians were playing a Super Series final and it turned out to be a thrilling contest. The two trainees of the Gopichand academy exploited every chink that they were aware of in each other's game. In the first game, Srikanth played some angled shots to set up his points and then used his accurate smashes to seal them. He gathered many points on Praneeth's forehand with his brilliant returns. Srikanth started with two lame returns but as the game progressed, he showed his class to outmaneuver his compatriot. The duo didn't go for long rallies and varied the pace with their repertoire of strokes. It was Srikanth who grabbed an 11-7 advantage during the first break with a cross-court smash which Praneeth couldn't return despite a full stretch dive. Praneeth too made Srikanth run for every point before closing in to make it 14-15. Srikanth did not relent either and came up with down the line smashes to grab five game points. In the second game, Srikanth rushed to a 4-1 lead but Praneeth clawed back at 7-7. The duo, which trains together at the Gopichand Academy, moved neck-and-neck till 10-10 before Praneeth grabbed a one-point advantage with Srikanth hitting wide. Praneeth continued to dominate the proceedings and moved to a 20-17 lead when Srikanth made a service error. He then roared back into the contest when his compatriot hit wide. In the decider, Praneeth carried the momentum and surged to a 7-3 lead which he consolidated to 11-5 at the break. It was another towering smash on Srikanth's backhand which gave him the lead. The change of court didn't break Praneeth's rhythm as he continued to trouble Srikanth with his array of strokes and better net-play. In the end, a drop shot gave Praneeth a 19-12 lead and Srikanth handed him the match point when he hit wide. Praneeth made it count to seal his first Super Series title when his compatriot again hit wide. Ever since bursting onto the scene by winning the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010, Praneeth has managed to outwit some accomplished shuttlers such as former All England Champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat and World No.1 Lee Chong Wei. But a win eluded him as he battled with a series of injuries to make early exits. However, things brightened up last year when he won in Canada. (PTI)

Sai Praneeth outlasts Srikanth to lift Singapore Open

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