Canada Open: Srikanth downs world No.6 Chou Tien Chen to enter semis

Calgary, July 5 (IANS) India’s Kidambi Srikanth continued his fine form by advancing to the semifinal at the Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament with a commanding straight-game win over top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.

The former world championship silver medallist, who was a finalist at the Malaysia Masters in May, outplayed world No. 6 Chen 21-18, 21-9 in a 43-minute quarterfinal clash on Saturday (IST).

Srikanth outclasses Chinese Taipei’s Wang Po-Wei 21-19, 21-14 in 40 minutes to setup his quarterfinal clash against Chou Tien Chen.

Currently ranked 49th in the world, Srikanth will now face Japan’s third seed Kenta Nishimoto for a spot in the final.

Srikanth holds a 6-4 lead in the head-to-head record against the 30-year-old Kenta Nishimoto. The Indian had defeated the Japanese shuttler in straight games at the last World Championships - despite Nishimoto often posing challenges for other Indian players. Known for his dogged court coverage, Nishimoto has been a consistent performer this season.

He earned his semifinal spot with a hard-fought 21-15, 5-21, 21-17 win over India’s Sankar Muthusamy Subramaniam.

In women’s singles, India’s promising teenager Shriyanshi Valishetty bowed out after a gritty contest against Denmark’s 24-year-old Amalie Schulz, losing 21-12, 19-21, 19-21.

Shriyanshi mounted late comebacks in both the second and third games but never managed to take the lead after winning the opening game. In the decider, she closed a 9-17 gap to reach 19-20, but narrowly fell short, concluding a commendable North American tour.

--IANS

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