Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a gritty performance to overcome Japan’s Yudai Okimoto in a hard-fought three-game contest and book his place in the men’s singles final of the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament.
The 2021 World Championships silver medallist battled past World No. 33 Okimoto 22-20, 15-21, 21-19 in a thrilling semifinal that lasted 72 minutes, reaching his first final of the 2026 season. The former World No. 1 will now face Chinese Taipei’s World No. 46 Su Li Yang in the title clash.
Meanwhile, Rounak Chouhan’s impressive run in his maiden Super 300 event came to an end after the young Indian lost 17-21, 19-21 to Su Li Yang in the other men’s singles semifinal.
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In the women’s singles, sixth-seeded Devika Sihag bowed out in the semifinals after suffering a 21-15, 11-21, 15-21 defeat against Denmark’s second seed Line Christophersen in a 54-minute encounter.
Ranked World No. 38, Srikanth made an aggressive start, opening up a 9-5 advantage before stretching it to 17-10. Okimoto, however, mounted an impressive comeback, claiming 10 of the next 12 points to earn a game point.
The experienced Indian responded just in time, winning three consecutive points to snatch the opening game 22-20. Okimoto dominated the second game after the interval, dictating the rallies and taking a narrow 11-9 lead at the mid-game break before steadily increasing his advantage to level the match.
Srikanth regained control early in the deciding game, racing to a 10-5 lead. But Okimoto fought back once again to edge ahead 13-12. The Indian then reeled off six successive points to move 18-13 in front.
The Japanese shuttler refused to give up, drawing level at 18-18 with another spirited fightback. Srikanth, however, kept his composure in the closing stages and sealed a memorable victory to secure his place in the final.
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