Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth once again flattered to deceive as he went down in straight games to Japan's Koki Watanabe to bow out of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament on Friday.
World No. 31 Srikanth, once again struggled for consistency as he looked in control for much of the match but suffered an inexplicable meltdown in the second game to lose 22-24, 15-21 to world No. 15 Watanabe.
The Indian had stunned world No. 8 and two-time world championships silver medallist Kodai Naraoka of Japan on Thursday.
On Friday, after a closely-fought opening game, Srikanth, a 2021 World Championships silver medallist, led 12-5 in the second before errors derailed his progress. Watanabe won 16 of the last 19 points to seal victory and book his place in the semifinals.
Srikanth, a former world No. 1, has looked in good touch this season as he defeated some top players, including Paris Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia on his way to the US Open final, before stunning world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada to reach the China Masters Super 750 quarter-finals in September.
The 33-year-old from Guntur had beaten Watanabe twice in the past, but their previous encounters had been closely fought. Friday's meeting was no different, with both players engaging in a fierce battle from the outset before the Japanese shuttler took a two-point lead into the interval.
{{/usCountry}}The 33-year-old from Guntur had beaten Watanabe twice in the past, but their previous encounters had been closely fought. Friday's meeting was no different, with both players engaging in a fierce battle from the outset before the Japanese shuttler took a two-point lead into the interval.
{{/usCountry}}Watanabe extended his advantage to 17-14 before Srikanth fought back to level the scores at 18-18. The Japanese then found the net twice, while a fine drop shot from the Indian brought the scores level again at 17-17.
A defensive backhand block that went wide handed Watanabe a game point, but he sent his next shot into the net, allowing Srikanth to save it.
Watanabe earned another game point with a smash, only to find the net again as the scores moved to 21-21.
Srikanth then earned a game point with a push towards the forehand corner but squandered the opportunity.
Another shot from Srikanth sailed wide, giving Watanabe his third game point, which he converted with a jump smash.
After the change of ends, Watanabe struggled with his control, allowing Srikanth to race to a 4-1 lead.
The Indian took charge of the rallies, using sharp, angled returns to build a six-point cushion at the interval.
However, Srikanth sent a couple of shots long, while Watanabe raised the pace to claw his way back. The Japanese drew level at 14-14 with a smash, wiping out the Indian's six-point advantage.
Srikanth then suffered a dramatic collapse, repeatedly hitting wide and long, finding the net and failing to read Watanabe's smashes. The Japanese won 16 of the next 19 points to earn six match points and seal the contest.