Srikanth beats Lakshya LIVE – Srikanth makes BWF World Badminton Final: Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth became the first Indian male to reach the BWF World Championships final with a thrilling comeback win in Madrid on Saturday. Battling fellow compatriot Lakshya Sen, the former World No.1 went down a game before showcasing his class to upstage the youngster in a fascinating contest for the fans. Srikanth is now guaranteed to win at least a silver and will be gunning for Gold on Sunday with his final opponent yet to be confirmed. Follow Insidesport.in for all BWF World Championships LIVE updates.
In an all-Indian battle, former world number one Srikanth rallied to defeat Lakshya Sen by 17-21, 21-14, 21-17 in a thriller that lasted for one hour and nine minutes. Sri will now clash in the gold medal match against the winner of the second semi-final which is to be played between Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
The 20-year-old Indian who was chasing the game at the start entered the first game interval with an 11-8 lead. But Kidambi soon showed his experience and leveled the game at 17-17 after the resumption.
However, Sen didn’t lose his composure and forced the 12th-seeded Indian to do errors under pressure with some deft touches. He took four straight points to wrap up the first game.
Simmering backhands and brilliant net play were on display at the starting of the second game as world-number-19 raced to an 8-4 lead. But his senior compatriot fought back strongly and took the two-point lead at the mid-game break.
With momentum on his side, the 28-year-old Indian widened the gap with a 16-12 lead. Sen tried to claw back in the game but Srikanth held his nerves to force the decider.
The third game went back and forth as both shuttlers found themselves level at 7-7. But it was the unseeded Indian who took the three points advantage in the mid-game interval of the deciding game. After the change of ends, Srikanth clawed his way back into the game by leveling the score at 13-13 and soon took the lead at 19-16. The former World number one then held his nerves to seal the spot in the summit clash.
On Friday, for a place in the last-4, Lakshya Sen defeated Zhao Jun Peng in a thriller. Battling at court 2, the Indian went past the Chinese shuttler by 21-15, 15-21, 22-20 in a titanic one hour and seven minutes clash.
On the other hand, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Mark Caljouw to cruise into the semi-finals of the Championships. Former world number one Indian thrashed the Dutch shuttler by 21-8, 21-7 in a contest that lasted for just 26 minutes.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Lakshya Sen LIVE: Indian shuttlers clash in semi-finals, who will make the gold medal match? Follow LIVE Updates
AND HE DID IT 😍@srikidambi became first ever 🇮🇳 Male shuttler to enter final at #WorldChampionships after defeating compatriot @lakshya_sen in a thrilling all Indian semifinal 💥
Well done both of you 👏#BWFWorldChampionships2021#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/s9gHc0SwpE
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) December 18, 2021
Game 3
- Kidambi Srikanth starts well, takes an early 3-1 lead.
- Srikanth continues lead, goes 4-2 ahead against Lakshya Sen
- Sen bounces back to take a 5-4 lead after Srikanth make a couple of errors.
- Srikanth levels back, game tied at 6-6 each in the decider.
- Sen wrestles back the advantage, goes 11-8 ahead at the break.
- Sen continues to lead, remains 12-10 ahead of Srikanth.
- Srikanth bounces back, levels the scores at 13-13 in decider.
- Sen takes two, but Srikanth hits back with two straight as scores stay level at 15-15.
- Back and forth game continues, scores at 16-16 each.
- Srikanth makes a dash as Lakshya concedes cheap points, goes 19-16 ahead.
- Lakshya makes another error, a match point for Srikanth.
- Srikanth seals it, makes history, becomes the 1st Indian male to reach world Championships finals.
Game 2
- Lakshya Sen starts off well, goes 2-1 ahead in early exchanges
- Sen continues to lead, is 4-2 ahead against Srikanth.
- Sen is having a dream run, goes four points ahead to lead 8-4.
- Kidambi Srikanth reduces deficit with two straight points, Sen continues to lead 9-7.
- Srikanth shows his class takes, seven of the last eight points to take an 11-9 lead at the break.
- The former World No.1 continues his momentum, leads 13-10 in make or break game 2.
- Sen continues to breathe down Srikanth’s neck, but the Indian veteran maintains his lead, ahead 15-12.
- Sen hits back, reduces the deficit to two points. Srikanth leads 16-14.
- Srikanth takes four straight, takes game point. Leads 20-14.
- Srikanth takes the game point, forces a decider after a 21-14 win.
Game 1
- Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth trade points are tied 4-4.
- Kidambi Srikanth takes the lead, goes 6-4 ahead.
- Lakshya Sen hits back, levels game 6-6
- Sen and Kidambi continue to trade back and forth points, scores level at 8-8.
- The 20-year-old does well, takes a three-point advantage into the break. 11-8
- Sen continues to lead, goes 12-10 ahead in Game 1
- The Indian prodigy maintains an advantage over the senior pro, goes 14-11 ahead.
- Lakshya Sen continues to impress, holds Srikanth at bay leads 16-14.
- Srikanth wrestles back the lead with three straight points, goes 17-16 ahead.
- Lakshya Sen keeps his cool and goes ahead, leads 19-17
- The 20-year-old converts, takes Game 1 21-17 in style cashing in on Kidambi’s mistakes.
Srikanth vs Lakshya LIVE – BWF World Badminton Semifinals LIVE: Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen created history on Friday as they became the latest to win medals for India in the BWF World Championships. Before Friday, only two Indian male shuttlers had won medals at the Worlds before, with Prakash Padukone and Sai Praneeth doing so. Srikanth and Sen are the latest entrants and one of them could become the first to clinch either silver or bronze for India in the championships.
Srikanth at the BWF World Championships so far
- R64: Beat Pablo Abian 21-12, 21-16
- R32 Beat Li Shi Feng 15-21, 21-18, 21-17
- R16 beat Lu Guang Zu 21-10, 21-15
- QF Beat Mark Caljouw 21-8, 21-7
- R64: beat Max Weisskirchen by walkover
- R32: beat Kenta Nishimoto 22-20, 15-21, 21-18
- R16: beat Kevin Cordon 21-13, 21-8
- QF: beat Zhao Jun Peng 21-15, 15-21, 22-20
Kidambi Srikanth vs Lakshya Sen LIVE: Indian shuttlers clash in semi-finals, who will make the gold medal match? Follow LIVE Updates
What to expect from the game? Both Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen have showcased contrasting traits and succeeded at the BWF World Championships so far. Srikanth has resembled his former self and has taken the attack to his opposition, and has only dropped one game during this competition. Sen meanwhile has taken his time to get going in games but has been clutch and prevailed against higher-ranked opponents, notably in the win over No.15 seed Kenta Nishimoto. The experience of the former World No.1 will meet the youthful exuberance of a Worlds debutant and fans in India should have an exciting watch, with any result being a historic one for Indian badminton.
How to watch Kidambi Srikanth vs Lakshya Sen LIVE?
Star Sports are the official broadcasters of the BWF World Championships in India. The Kidambi Srikanth vs Lakshya Sen match will be live telecasted on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming of the same will be available on the Disney + Hotstar app. The timings of the same shall be announced once the draws are complete, but the quarter-final action begins at 2:30 PM on Saturday, December 18.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Lakshya Sen LIVE: Indian shuttlers clash in semi-finals, who will make the gold medal match? Follow LIVE Updates
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