Hong Kong: Kidambi Srikanth of India will try to write more positive headlines for badminton this week in Hong Kong after he shocked the great Lin Dan in the China Open final last Sunday— just five months after he collapsed in a changing room and was rushed to intensive care with meningitis.
The quietly-spoken youngster from Andhra Pradesh found it hard to put Sunday’s win, which was against one of his sporting idols, into words.
“To beat Lin Dan in a final is a dream come true,” he said. “I just played my 100 percent because there was nothing to lose.”
Srikanth’s 21-19, 21-17 win handed India a rare double triumph as established countrywoman Saina Nehwal won the women’s event.
The 16th-ranked Srikanth is unseeded at the Hong Kong Open, so sudden has been his success, and he faces a tough opening clash on Wednesday against world number eight Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan.
