 "Kidambi Srikanth")
Kidambi Srikanth looked like a pale shadow of his best version as he went down to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in straight sets at the India Open 2024 on Wednesday, January 17 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi. The world number 25 faced an uphill task after losing his only game point in the first. In the second set, he could not even match up to the level of his Hong Kong opponent.
Srikanth on The Charge in First Set
The Indian went on the charge early and took a 9-6 lead as he killed a point on the net with a great move towards the middle of the court. Yiu tried hard to make a comeback, but Srikanth remained in control of the first game at 12-8.
A down-the-line smash from Srikanth got him a 14-9 lead, and the crowd went gaga after the challenge confirmed the point with the shuttle falling on the line.
Unforced Errors Enter Srikanth’s Play
But suddenly, a flurry of unforced errors put the Hong Kong shuttler in the lead for the first time in the match at 18-17. It became 19-17 with a bodyline smash from Yiu. Srikanth failed to kill a net point and struggled with his steps while returning to fall on the ground and give his opponent three game points.
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He saved one of them and then the other two by playing back and forth to take three straight points and stay in the game in the backing of a great crowd behind him.
Talking about his missed chances, Srikanth said, “Probably if I had taken that first set after 17-15, 17-14, things would have been different.”
Failing to Convert Points
Srikanth failed to kill yet another shot on the net, showing some wear and tear at net play. But he learned from it and forced Yiu to play at his backhand, taking advantage of the high shuttle and smashing himself away to his first-ever game point. An excellent forehand drop from Yiu, though, made it 22 all. An unforced error followed by loose defending from Srikanth gifted the set to Yiu.
Srikanth conceded that he failed to convert a few points, But also emphasised that his style of play is such that some things will fall in his favour and some might not.
“You know I have been doing a lot of unforced errors., But I am somebody who likes to take on the opponent. I do not play safe, but the downside of that is the unforced errors. But If I can control that, it would be great,” said the 30-year-old.
Out of Gas in the Second Set
In the second set, Srikanth was nowhere to be seen, trailing 2-11 at the mid-game interval. It seemed as if he had run out of steam. He did show some strength and picked up five straight pints after the mid-game interval to trail 7-11 and then three more in a flourish while tailing at 15-7 to go to 10-15, before eventually making yet another unforced error to lose the momentum.
Sparks of Brilliance Couldn’t Save Srikanth
There were some sparks of brilliance in Sruikanth when, for example, he won a point through a drop shot at 11-17. His opponent couldn't even guess that he was about to inflict that drop shot. At 18-13 too, he returned the shuttle brilliantly to surprise Yiu, but eventually lost the point. However, those bursts could not save him from going down eventually, as he lost the second set 13-21 and the match in straight sets 24-22, 21-13.
