BWF World Championship 2021 Highlights: Kidambi Srikanth beats Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-14, 21-17

With this victory, Srikanth also becomes the third Indian to reach the final of a singles competition, and the first in the men’s category, after PV Sindhu (2017, 2018 and 2019) and Saina Nehwal (2015).

He is now one step away from becoming only the second Indian after Sindhu to win a gold medal at the World Championships.

Certainly an opinion that will be shared by many an Indian badminton fan
 

Lovely little touch towards the end between these two

Lakshya certainly has marked himself as one for the future

An absolute humdinger of a contest that turned out to be

SRIKANTH WINS! Kidambi Srikanth beats Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-14, 21-17!

He becomes the first Indian to reach the final of the men’s singles event in the BWF World Championships! Both players collapse on the floor at the end of what turned out to be an exhilerating semi-final — the first of the two men’s last-four clashes on Day 7! The two Indians hug it out at the net before leaving the court.

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 19-16 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth now has a three-point cushion, having won nine of the last 12 points. He’s on the verge of history!

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 15-15 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth draws level with Sen as he cramps the latter for room with a couple of well-aimed smashes. This is starting to get tense towards the business end of the semi-final.

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 10-12 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth grabs a couple of points before going for an unsuccessful challenge for a wide shot that was well outside the side line. That’s one unsuccessful challenge each for the two contestants.

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 8-11 Lakshya Sen

Sen certainly has shown heart so far in the final game. Despite showing signs of exhaustion early on, Sen soldiered on and now has a three-point advantage at the mid-game interval.

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 6-6 Lakshya Sen

Sen musters up the strength to jump ahead of his senior compatriot by a point, allows the latter to draw level at six-all after hitting one to the net.

Not wanting to give the momentum away

Has been an impressive debut tournament for Sen

Game 3: Srikanth Kidambi 3-1 Lakshya Sen

Another long rally between the pair, with Sen starting to show signs of getting tired now. Srikanth, looking increasingly settle both physically and mentally, grabs an early two-point lead.

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 21-14 Lakshya Sen

SRIKANTH BOUNCES BACK TO LEVEL THE CONTEST 1-1! We have a cracker of a contest at the moment between the two Indians. From a two-point advantage at the halfway stage, it’s been a one-way traffic in favour of the Andhra shuttler all the way.

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 17-14 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth stretches the lead to three now after a long smash that is too quick for Sen to react. Will he close it out from here?

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 14-12 Lakshya Sen

Challenge taken by Lakshya Sen after the shuttlecock appears to land just outside the baseline. Review confirms that it is indeed missing the line. So that’s one unsuccessful review, with one remaining

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 11-9 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth has seven of the last eight points now, grabbing a two-point lead at the mid-game interval, and the momentum has shifted in Srikanth’s favour!

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 9-9 Lakshya Sen

Some impressive net play between the two, and Srikanth manages to deflect one out of Lakshya’s reach after a short rally to draw level. This is getting interesting now.

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 6-8 Lakshya Sen

Another impressive rally between the two, with the two engaging in a series of rapid-fire returns before Sen loops one up that is met with a decisive smash from Srikanth. Sen still has the two-point advantage

Game 2: Srikanth Kidambi 4-6 Lakshya Sen

The start to the second game has been just as electric as the first one so far following a quick beverage and change of racquet along with a change of ends for the pair. However, it’s Sen who leads by two points.

Srikanth Kidambi 17-21 Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen wins Game 1, and has one foot in the men’s singles final. Impressive comeback by the youngster after conceding the lead early on. Srikanth managed to level it with an intense rally at 16-16, but Sen held his nerve and maintained the pressure on his more senior opponent to clinch the opening game.

Srikanth Kidambi 16-16 Lakshya Sen  

Superb little rally between the two Indians, with Srikanth drawing level towards the closing stages of Game 1 as Sen ends up hitting the shuttle to the net.

Srikanth Kidambi 11-15 Lakshya Sen  

Lakshya’s starting to surge ahead at the moment, and is starting to look more in control.

Srikanth Kidambi 12-15 Lakshya Sen  

Lakshya’s starting to surge ahead at the moment, and is starting to look more in control.

Srikanth Kidambi 8-11 Lakshya Sen  

After playing catch-up for the most part so far, Lakshya surges ahead to grab a three-point advantage in the mid-game interval. Momentum with youngster at the moment.

Some match up this is

Srikanth Kidambi 6-6 Lakshya Sen  

Has been a see-saw battle between Srikanth and the tournament debutant Lakshya so far, with the latter drawing level after an intense rally. Serve currently with Lakshya.

Srikanth Kidambi 2-2 Lakshya Sen

Srikanth serves and grabs the first two points, with Lakshya drawing level soon after.

This is the first time Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth are meeting in an international fixture. The all-Indian encounter, the eighth of the 10 matches scheduled on Day 7, is about to begin now.

Lakshya wins the coin toss, and he picks an end. Srikanth Kidambi to serve

Earlier, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy came close to confirming another couple of medals for India in the ongoing world championships.

— Sindhu, the 2019 gold medallist who has accounted for half of India’s 10 medals till date, lost to Tai Tzu-ying 21-17, 21-13.

— Prannoy also suffered a straight-games defeat, losing to Loh Kean Yew (21-14, 21-12).

Kidambi Srikanth’s road to the semis

— beat Pablo Abian 21-12, 21-16

— beat Li Shi Feng 15-21, 21-18, 21-17

— beat Lu Guang Zu 21-10, 21-15

— beat Mark Callow (quarter-final) 21-8, 21-7

Lakshya Sen’s road to the semis

— beat Max Weisskirchen via walkover

— beat Kenta Nishimoto 22-20, 15-21, 21-18

— beat Kevin Cordon 21-13, 21-8

— beat Zhao Jun Peng (quarter-final) 21-15, 15-21, 22-20

BAI had earlier wished the two Indian shuttlers luck in the build-up to their clash

Only two Indian shuttlers have won a medal at the BWF World Championships men’s singles in the past — Prakash Padukone in 1983 and B Sai Praneeth in 2019, both bronze. After tonight, one of either Lakshya or Srikanth stands the chance of becoming the first ever to win a gold or silver in the category

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the much-awaited semi-final meeting between Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth, both of whom are assured a medal in the ongoing BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain. The winner of this game will then compete against the winner of the other men’s singles semi-final Anders Antonsen and Loh Kean Yew in the gold medal match on Sunday.