Kidambi Srikanth Finishes Runner-Up At US Open Super 300 Following Gritty Final

Published 29 June 2026 · sports

Kidambi Srikanth Finishes Runner-Up At US Open Super 300 Following Gritty Final Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 16:03 IST Kidambi Srikanth falls to

Kidambi Srikanth Finishes Runner-Up At US Open Super 300 Following Gritty Final Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 16:03 IST Kidambi Srikanth falls to Su Li-yang in US Open Super 300 final, delivers gritty three game battle in his first final of the season in California. Rapid Read Kidambi Srikanth finished runners-up at the US Open (Picture credit: BAI) India’s Kidambi Srikanth ended his brilliant run with a runner-up finish at the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament after going down fighting in three games to Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang in the men’s singles final in California. The 33-year-old Srikanth, a silver medallist at the 2021 World Championships, recovered from the loss of the opening game to force a decider but couldn’t match the pace and intensity of world No. 46 Su, who is nine years his junior. Srikanth, who had claimed six Super Series titles between 2014 and 2017, eventually lost 15-21, 21-16, 9-21 in a physical battle that lasted just over an hour here on Sunday. “I could have played a little better, maybe in the opening set. Otherwise, I feel I’ve played okay. The second half of the third set, it was just hitting really well all of a sudden," said the man from Guntur after the match. A Rio Olympics quarterfinalist, Srikanth also ended second at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Syed Modi International Super 300 last year.

“I just feel like whatever I’ve been doing is working. I just have to keep working hard. I feel like I’m there. It’s just about being able to win those crucial points," added Srikanth, who had become the first Indian to bag four Super Series titles in a single calendar year in 2017. Playing his first final of the season, the former world No. 1 was the quicker off the blocks, but a rare error, where his racquet crossed the net during a rally, appeared to disrupt his rhythm as a string of unforced mistakes permitted Su to open up a 7-2 lead. Srikanth, however, regrouped to win eight of the next 11 points and draw level at 10-10 after a series of fast-paced rallies. His powerful smashes proved crucial, helping him edge ahead by a point at the mid-game interval after Su smashed wide. However, Su wrested back control after the break, quickening the pace of the rallies and using subtle deception to force errors from Srikanth. He soon extended his lead to 17-12. A cross-court smash followed by a delicate net shot helped Srikanth reduce the deficit to 14-18, but another error handed the initiative back to Su. Su earned six game points with a thunderous smash. The Indian saved one before sending the shuttle long as Su wrapped up the opening game in 17 minutes. After the change of ends, the contest remained evenly poised with neither player giving an inch.