Srikanth advances to 2nd round of Syed Modi International

Third seed K Srikanth sailed past Russia's Vladimir Malkov in straight games to set up a second-round clash with fellow Indian P Kashyap in the Syed Modi International Badminton Tournament here on Wednesday.

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Srikanth prevails, Kashyap gets a walkover

Srikanth prevailed 21-12 21-11 in his 36-minute opening round clash, while Kashyap got a walkover from Frenchman Lucas Corvee.  Among other Indians, 18-year-old Lakshya Sen, who won the Scottish Open last week, also got a walkover after another French shuttler Thomas Rouxel withdrew from the competition.In the women's competition, Ashmita Chaliha advanced after beating compatriot Vrushali Gummadi 21-16 21-16 in a 32-minute contest.

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Srikanth pulls out of the upcoming PBL

Kidambi Srikanth on Monday pulled out of the upcoming Premier Badminton League (PBL) to focus on international events ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old from Guntur, who had guided Bangalore Raptors to their maiden title win in the last PBL, will not feature in the fifth edition scheduled to be held from January 20 to February 9.

'It's a tough road ahead': Kidambi Srikanth

"It's a tough road ahead. Need to go full throttle and fulfill the expectations that lie on me. Hence, I won't be playing PBL this year to focus more on International events. Wish @blr_raptors all the very best and hope for a smashing season this year as well," Srikanth wrote on his twitter handle.

Srikanth is currently enduring a winless streak since claiming four titles in 2017. He had reached the finals of India Open earlier this year. He has been battling form and fitness issues and has slipped to world no 11. He made it to the semifinals of Hong Kong Open earlier this month.

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