Kidambi Srikanth began the New Year on a sensational note as the former World No. 1 defeated 6th seed Jonathan Christie in a massive 3-game marathon in the opening round of the men’s singles campaign at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament. Srikanth came back from behind to beat the 5th-ranked player in an hour and 5 minutes on Tuesday, January 9.

Kidambi Srikanth completed a hat-trick of wins against Jonathan Christie on the tour. The World No. 24 used all his experience to bounce back after losing the opening game and completed 12-21, 21-18, 21-16 to book his place in the second round in which he will face higher-ranked Ng Ka Long who decimated Kanta Tsunayame in straight games in the opening round.

With Parupalli Kashyap in the coaching chair, Srikanth found ways to sustain pressure and return from situations where he looked down and out. In the recent past, Srikanth has struggled to maintain momentum when the matches have gone the distance, but on Tuesday the senior shuttler did not throw in the towel despite trailing in all three games.

In the second game, Srikanth was trailing 7-11 at the break, but kept the pressure on Christie, moving freely on the court and using his solid defensive game. In the decider, Srikanth again found the going tough as Christie dominated the rallies, moving from 5-0 to 14-9. Srikanth switched the attacking mode on used his smashes to overturn the lead and go past the finish line in style.

Srikanth did struggle in 2023, suffering as many as 10 first-round losses that cast doubt on his prospects for the Paris 2024. Srikanth is currently ranked 24 in the Race to Paris charts and the senior shuttler needs to put in consistent performances to stay ahead of the competition and make the cut for the Games.

ASHWINI, TANISHA MAKE WINNING START

Meanwhile, women’s doubles star Ashwini Ponnappa and Francesa Corbett of the USA in straight games to 21-13, 21-16 to progress to the second round of women’s doubles.

India’s only representative in women’s singles Akarshi Kashyap lost her first round to Zhang Yi Man of China in straight games while men’s doubles MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost in straight games in their first round.

India’s big names, including top-ranked men’s singles star HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen along with Asian Games gold medalists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action in their first-round matches on Wednesday.