In April 2013, Kidambi Srikanth had shown signs that a star was in the making. He had then beaten Danish world no. 8 Jan O Jorgensen at the India Open Super Series, sending shockwaves through the badminton fraternity.
And on Sunday, the 20-year-old announced his arrival when he breezed past local top seed Boonsak Ponsana to lift his maiden Grand Prix title at the Thailand Open. Srikanth, the world no. 61, took just 34 minutes to upset the seventh ranked Ponsana 21-16, 21-12 and pull in the biggest cheque of his career in front of a hostile crowd at the Nimibutr Stadium.
“I was a bit nervous before I stepped onto the court, as I was facing a local player and that too Ponsana, who is world no. 8. I was not thinking to winning or losing, but wanted to give my 100 per cent. And then I started playing my usual attacking game and was able to put him under pressure,” Srikanth told this paper from Thailand.
That was not all, as there was more good news from another Guntur-based shuttler and that too from Srikanth’s elder brother Nandagopal, who annexed the mixed doubles title along with K. Maneesha at the Maldives International Badminton Challenge.
Interestingly a year ago, Srikanth had picked up his first singles international title in the same event in Maldives. As a junior, Srikanth also reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships and entered the pre-quarters of the World Championships in 2011.
Srikanth said the win had not sunk in yet and that he was busy thinking about his next assignment in Singapore. “Now, my focus will be on maintaining this form and do well in the upcoming events,” added the youngster, who had given up the sport before joining the Gopichand Academy in 2009.
The first game was tight affair until the Indian took four points on the trot from 16-15. Missing the first, he converted the second game point to go one-up. In contrast, the second was a lop-sided match with Srikanth blazing away to a 14-6 lead before comfortably sealing the issue.
For national coach Pullela Gopichand, if Srikanth’s triumph was “greatly surprising”, then Nandagopal’s successful stint at Maldives was “icing on the cake”.
“It’s really good for the sport. Srikanth’s win is very creditable... to beat a top-ranked player like Ponsana and moreover in front of a hostile crowd. The win will definitely boost his confidence.”