Australia Superseries: Kidambi Srikanth says winning consecutive titles is 'best phase of my career'

Kidambi Srikanth continued his dream run at Superseries events after winning the Australia Superseries on Sunday which was his third successive final and second consecutive title in eight days. In a span of two weeks, the 24-year-old won all the 10 matches he played, beating the World No 1 Son Wan Ho twice and top-ranked Chinese shuttler Shi Yuqi once. More importantly, he floored the reigning Olympic gold medallist and World Champion Chen Long 22-20, 21-16 in the men’s singles final on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_3744221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Kidambi Srikanth poses with coach Mulyo Handoyo (L) and the coaching staff. Twitter: @BAI_Media[/caption] “I must say everything went right for me in the final. It is special for sure coming up against someone like Chen who has been playing so well in this championship,” Srikanth told Sportstar after the straight-games victory. “I was normal before the final. Didn’t feel any pressure at all. My approach was simple — to keep the shuttle in play, not to miss scoring chances and at the same time not to make too many unforced errors. Glad it really worked well and should thank the coach Mulyo (Handoyo),” Srikanth said. “This is the best phase in my career at the highest level and winning three Superseries is something which I would cherish forever,” he added. The Indian badminton circuit has witnessed a serious rise in form, especially in the men’s singles department with HS Prannoy defeating Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei in consecutive matches in Jakarta, B Sai Praneeth winning the Singapore Open and now Srikanth’s back-to-back title triumph. According to the Guntur-born shuttler, all these great results will help Indian badminton ahead of World Championship in August. After his fabulous show in Jakarta and Sydney, Srikanth dedicated his win to the coaches and support staff including coaches Mulyo, national coach Pullela Gopichand, fellow players and the staff at the Gopichand Academy. To sign off, he expressed the desire to be more consistent and maintain this level of performance for tougher challenges ahead.