Kidambi Srikanth lost to World no 1 Kento Momota in the quarters, ending India’s campaign at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham.
The Indian shuttler went down 12-21, 16-21 in the match that lasted 44 minutes on Friday, 8 March.
Srikanth, who had a title-less run last season after the high of winning four tournaments in an incredible 2017, suffered his sixth straight loss to the Japanese.
In the first game, Momota broke off from 9-9 to grab 10 game points. Srikanth saved two before a cross court return sealed it for the Japanese.
In the second game, Momota surged ahead from 3-3 to grab a 11-4 at the break and grabbed eight match points. The Indian saved four match points before losing the match.
Earlier in the tournament, seventh seed Srikanth had recovered from a mid-game slump to register a 21-17, 11-21, 21-12 win over Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie, his first victory over the Indonesian in the last three meetings.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)