Fullerton (US), June 29 (IANS) Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth’s wait for a BWF World Tour title was extended further after he went down against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang in the men’s semifinals of the US Open Badminton tournament here on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, facing an opponent who is nine years younger to him, pushed himself to find that winning momentum but could not avoid a 21-15, 16-21, 21-9 loss in an hour and nine minutes.

“I just feel like whatever I’ve been doing is working. I just have to keep working hard. I feel I’m there, but it’s about winning those crucial points. He (Su Li Yang) has been playing really well over the last few months. It’s a day when he played exceptionally well during the points that mattered,” said Srikanth, who have not won a BWF Tour title since his 2017 French Open win.

Srikanth and Su Li-yang have met twice previously, with both players winning one match each. Prior to the US Open final, their most recent encounter came in the round of 16 at the Thailand Open in May, where Su Li-yang prevailed in three games.

It was Su who got off the blocks fast in the opening game as he took a 10-5 lead. Srikanth levelled the scores at 10-10 before the Taipei shuttler won seven consecutive points to runaway with the game.

Srikanth kept pace with Su in the second game for the first half and then changed the tempo to move from 15-13 to 20-13 before converting his fourth game point. However, the effort did take a toll on Srikanth’s tired legs.

Though he stayed neck-and-neck with Su till 9-7, the 24-year-old then took eight straight points to seal the match.

“I can’t believe I did it. I’m just happy and excited. In the final game, we both were tired, so I told myself to keep the focus and keep pushing myself, and to trust myself. I’m very proud of myself. I worked very hard, I really wanted to win a World Tour title. This is my first World Tour title. I trust and believe that I can win more,” said Su on his maiden BWF Tour title.

En route to the final, Srikanth produced the tournament’s ultimate act of sportsmanship during a tense semifinal moment; when officials refused to correct a wrong call despite heavy protests, he walked up to the referee to concede, handing the point back to Japan’s Okimoto.

–IANS

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