India's Srikanth Kidambi loses final in BWF World Championships

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(From left) Silver medallist Srikanth Kidambi of India, gold medallist Loh Kean of Singapore, bronze medallists Anders Antonsen of Denmark and Lakshya Sen of India pose on the podium. (AFP)
(From left) Silver medallist Srikanth Kidambi of India, gold medallist Loh Kean of Singapore, bronze medallists Anders Antonsen of Denmark and Lakshya Sen of India pose on the podium. (AFP)

Singapore's Loh Kean Yew defeated Kidambi in the summit clash 21-15, 22-20

By ANI

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Published: Sun 19 Dec 2021, 8:17 PM

Shuttler Srikanth Kidambi on Sunday became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain.

Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew defeated Kidambi in the summit clash 21-15, 22-20. The final lasted 43 minutes.


This is the first time that a men’s player from Singapore has won gold at the BWF World Championships.

Singapore's Loh Kean Yew celebrates after beating India's Srikanth Kidambi in the final. (AFP)
Singapore's Loh Kean Yew celebrates after beating India's Srikanth Kidambi in the final. (AFP)

The 12th-seeded Indian came out all with guns blazing and took an early 9-3 lead, but Yew bounced back, winning the first game 21-15.


Kidambi was left with all to do in the second game if he wanted to keep his hopes alive of walking away with a gold medal.

Yew carried on with his momentum and he wrapped up the match in straight games.

Meanwhile, former India shuttler Dinesh Khanna on Sunday said that Kidambi winning a silver medal at the World Championships is a historic moment in Indian badminton.

“It is a historic performance as he won the silver medal. He was up against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore who played well. He had beaten many top players in the tournament. Srikanth at one point was leading 13-11 but Yew held his nerves,” Dinesh said.

On Saturday, Srikanth had created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to enter the final in the men’s singles category of the BWF World Championships.

In an all-Indian battle, former world number one Srikanth rallied to defeat Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-14, 21-17.

“It was a great tournament as we won two medals. First was won by Prakash Padukone in 1983 then Sai Praneeth two years ago and now two medals in this tournament. A bronze medal by Lakshya Sen and a silver medal by Srikanth is a great performance,” Dinesh said.

“Lakshya Sen played well in the tournament beating higher ranked players and then a close match against Srikanth. Expectations from him are going to be high in future. Srikanth also won four super series in 2017 but after that could not win any. So, this silver will give him a lot of confidence. I think the future of Indian badminton is very bright,” he added.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi won the women’s singles final with a 21-14, 21-11 win over Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan.


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