World Badminton Championships 2018: Kidambi Srikanth enters pre-quarters with hard-fought win

Nanjing: India ace Kidambi Srikanth struggled past Spain’s Pablo Abian in a three-game match to enter the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals at the BWF World Championship on Wednesday.

The fifth-seeded Indian recovered from a slump during the hard-fought contest to see off Pablo 21-15, 12-21, 21-14 in a second-round match that lasted 62 minutes.

Srikanth, who had clinched four titles last year, will lock horns with Malaysia’s Daren Liew, a former World no 10, who had won the 2012 French Open Super Series.

Srikanth erased a 2-4 and 6-8 deficit in the opening game before gaining the upperhand with a 16-13 lead. He then reeled off four points to reach game point. Pablo tried to recover but the Indian quickly pocketed the opening game.

In the second game, Srikanth had opened up a 6-3 lead but Pablo rode on a six-point burst to move ahead.

The Indian made it 10-12 but the Spaniard registered seven straight points to enjoy a healthy lead to eventually roar back into contest.

In the decider, Pablo managed a slender 11-9 advantage at the break but Srikanth turned the tables and then surged ahead to shut the door on the Spaniard.