Kuala Lumpur, 25 May (H.S.): India’s Kidambi Srikanth achieved a commendable runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament, losing to China’s world No. 4 Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles final in straight games. At 32, Srikanth’s journey back from injuries and setbacks culminated in his first BWF World Tour final appearance in six years, having started from the qualifiers. Despite a promising run, he struggled against the second seed’s solid defense, resulting in a defeat of 11-21, 9-21 within 36 minutes. Nevertheless, Srikanth displayed resilience and skill, bouncing back from being ranked world No. 82 earlier this month, reminding everyone of his talent. His last BWF final was in 2019, where he also finished as runner-up.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar