Fans call Srikanth's game in BWF World Championships final 'outstanding' despite loss

India's hopes for gold at BWF World Championships ended on a dull note as its star player Kidambi Srikanth faced defeat at the hands of Singaporean shuttler Kean Yew Loh, on Sunday. Srikanth finished second in the World Championships to earn the silver medal. The Indian star shuttler scripted history earlier on Saturday by becoming the first Indian male badminton player to reach the finals of the BWF World Championships 2021, being played in Spain by defeating fellow national Lakshya Sen in the semi-finals. However, Srikanth ended up committing too many mistakes in the final and lost the chance to become the first Indian men’s badminton player to win gold at the World Championships.

How did the fans react to Kidambi Srikanth’s silver medal-winning effort?

Netizens were critical about the former world no. 1 after his loss in the World Championships final, as they felt he would have shown better game tactics. Meanwhile, other fans hailed Srikanth for his brilliant effort in the second game. A fan argued that by the time Srikanth started counter-attacking, the game had already slipped from his hands. Many also hailed Srikanth for his outstanding performances despite having a career laden with injuries. Meanwhile, a fan also mentioned that India has also earned the bronze medal in the men's singles, courtesy of Lakshya's third-place finish.

Kean Yew Loh scripts history by defeating Kidambi Srikanth-

The match commenced with Srikanth serving the shuttle, while Kean Yew Loh opened the score sheet of the match, followed by the first points by Srikanth. After the initial lead by Kean Yew Look, Srikanth made a comeback in the first game and earned eight back-to-back points to take the score to 9-3, before the Singaporean shuttler earned four consecutive points. Srikanth took a four points advantage with the scoreboard at 11-7 after only seven minutes of play in the first game of the match.

However, Loh fought back to level points at 11-11 and ended up winning the first game 21-15. Former World No. 1 Srikanth kept giving away points from small mistakes throughout the first half, as Loh went into the interval of the second game with an 11-9 lead. Srikanth made an incredible comeback to level points at 20-20, however, he failed to capitalize on it and had to settle for the silver medal. Loh picked up the first men’s singles title in the BWF World Championships for Singapore and also became the country's first World Champion after winning 21-15 and 22-20 in the finals.

BWF World Championships 2021 Finals: Full Results

Earlier on Sunday, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi defeated Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the women’s singles final of the World Championships and picked up the title. Yamaguchi earned the title with a convincing 21-14, 21-11 win, in a match that lasted for 39 minutes. Meanwhile, the Japanese pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi defeated He Ji Ting and Tan Qiang 21-12, 21-18 in the men’s doubles final. Meanwhile, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan picked the women’s doubles title after defeating the South Korean pair of LEE Sohee and Shin Seugchan. In the meantime, the Thai mixed doubles pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai defeated Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino to win the BWF World Championship title in the mixed doubles category.

(Image: PTI)