New Delhi: India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth lost to Li Shi Feng of China in the final of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament, held at the Axiata Arena Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. The men’s singles final lasted for merely 36 minutes as the Chinese opponent made it a one-sided clash with quick 21-11, 21-9 straight-game efforts to clinch the gold medal in the tournament.
With the final defeat, Kidambi has capped a remarkable campaign, grabbing a runner-up finish at the Malaysian event. The 32-year-old covered a long road while making his comeback on court, dealing with injuries and missed opportunities, and had only made it to his first BWF World Tour final in six years on Saturday with the semifinal win at the same venue, which followed the emphatic qualifier wins.
But the title clash saw the former world no. 1 being erratic as he struggled to break through the defence of second-seeded Li and was also unable to convert openings, eventually losing the game in just over half an hour. He will have to settle for a silver medal, yet again, but deserves full credit for making it a campaign full of exciting clashes and eking out victories with a tremendous skill set achieved over the years.
Despite the final rout, it was indeed an inspirational campaign from Kidambi, who had slipped to world No. 82 earlier this month, but showed grit and class to remind the badminton fraternity what he is actually capable of. The last time Srikanth made it to a BWF World Tour final was at the 2019 India Open, where too, he finished as runner-up. He was a silver medallist at the 2021 World Championships as well.
He may have missed the title, but @srikidambi rediscovered something deeper — belief, hunger, and a spark that could lift Indian🇮🇳 badminton to new heights. 🔥
After 6 years, he didn’t just reach a final — he reminded himself who he truly is.
Surely this is the start of… pic.twitter.com/I21aBs52IL
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) May 25, 2025
More to follow…
Kidambi Srikanth was defeated by Li Shi Feng of China in straight games in the men’s singles final of Malaysia Masters Super 500 held at the Axiata Arena Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Badminton Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
