Star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament, advancing to the semifinals with a convincing straight-game victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hao Lee in Basel.
Srikanth, who has been struggling for form this season, finally found his rhythm in the quarterfinals, dominating Lee 21-10, 21-14 in just 35 minutes. This marks his first semifinal appearance in 16 months, since the Hylo Open in November 2022.
The 2021 world championships silver medalist will now face Chinese Taipei’s world no. 22 Lin Chun-Yi in the semifinals on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kiran George’s valiant effort came to a heartbreaking end in the quarterfinals, as he narrowly lost to Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke 23-21, 17-21, 15-21. Another promising Indian, Priyanshu Rajawat, also bowed out in the quarterfinals, falling to Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 15-21, 19-21.
Srikanth’s victory is a much-needed boost for Indian badminton, which has been facing a slump in recent months. The shuttler will be hoping to continue his momentum and secure a spot in the final, where he could potentially face world no. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
