Losing the final in Singapore seems to have spurred Kidambi Srikanth on, as the talented Indian showcased his best in Jakarta to become the first Indian male shuttler to emerge victorious in the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier on Sunday. Saina Nehwal is the only other Indian to have won the title in Jakarta.
Srikanth smashed his way to a 21-11, 21-19 win against Japanese qualifier Kazumasa Sakai in a 37-minute final to pocket his second Premier crown after a gap of two-and-a-half years. He had earlier won the China Open. Delighting the packed house with his trademark whiplash smashes and staying aggressive throughout the contest, Srikanth steam rolled his opponent.
The victory, which made Srikanth richer by about Rs 4800,000, is quite special for India as the boys won three out of the last four tournaments in the last two months. While Sai Praneeth won the Singapore Super Series and Thailand Grand Prix Gold, Srikanth, who lost to Praneeth in the Singapore, excelled in Indonesia.
It is rare feat that a shuttler outside the big three -Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei -finished on the top of podium in a tournament in which all three greats played. The field in Jakarta was quite strong as all the top ranked players featured in the event which is rated only behind the Olympics and World Championships.
Srikanth looked a bit tentative at the start of the first game as the air movement (drift) was troubling the Indian. He played cautiously until the 11th point but after the break he went all out into attack giving no chance to Sakai. Executing smashes at will and pushing back the shuttle with full force and coming up with an occasional cross court drop, Srikanth moved from 13-9 to 19-9 with effortless ease.
In the second game, Srikanth started from the difficult side of the court. The Japanese youngster made good use of the drift and controlled the net. Sakai did well not to give any lift to the shuttle, thereby preventing the Indian from attacking. The ploy worked as Sakai managed to secure a crucial three-point lead at 13-10. It was here that Srikanth raised his game, reduced the gap to 12-13 and powered ahead to 14-13 with a forehand and a backhand whiplash smash.
But Sakai looked determined and even went ahead at 19-18. Srikanth stormed back in style with a risky smash. At 19-19 a net chord deviated the angle of the shuttle helping the Indian to move to the all-important match point. Srikanth did not waste time as he closed out the game with a ferocious backhand smash. The last point was a risky shot but such is Srikanth's style.
