Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the China Open after losing to world no. 2 Kento Momota of Japan on Friday, 21 September. The Indian shuttler went down 9-21, 11-21 in the quarters of the men’s singles event of the USD 1 million tournament.
World champion Momota has registered his third win against seventh-seed Kidambi this year in as many clashes, having won at the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Open in June and July respectively. Before this match, the head-to-head was tilted completely in the Japanese player’s favour, with the Indian losing seven of their 10 matches.
The Indian was no match for Momota, who has been in sensational form since making a comeback after serving a one year ban for visiting an illegal casino.
Srikanth lagged 1-5 initially. He recovered to 4-5 with three straight points but couldn't put up a fight as Momota surged to a huge 19-6 lead before pocketing the first game.
The second game was no different as Momota moved from 4-3 to 13-3 with nine straight points. He continued to dominate the proceedings to seal the contest without much effort.
Earlier in the tournament, Srikanth had defeated Suppanyu Avihingsanon 21-12 15-21 24-22 in the pre-quarters of the China Open.
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