Malaysia Open 2024: Srikanth shocks Christie, Tanisha-Ashwini pair reaches second round

India’s Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the second round of Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament with a come-from-behind win over world number 5 Indonesian Jonatan Christie here on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, who has been going through a lean phase for quite sometime, notched up a stunning 12-21 21-18 21-16 win over sixth seed Christie in the opening round match that lasted an hour and five minutes.

The former world no. 1 will face Hong Kong’s NG Ka Long Angus next.

A 2021 world championships silver medallist, Srikanth has often struggled to sustain the pressure in a three-game match to make a number of early exits but he looked in fine fettle on Tuesday as he kept attacking despite losing the opening game, to come out victorious.

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Srikanth always had some tough battles against the Indonesian, whom he had defeated six times in 11 meetings.

Playing the first match of the new season, Srikanth didn’t have a good start as he lagged 4-7 initially and though he managed to make it 8-7 briefly, all hopes went up in smoke when Christie blazed off nine straight points to leave him stranded.

With Parupalli Kashyap in the coach’s chair, Srikanth opened up a 4-0 lead in the second game but Christie again zoomed ahead to grab an 11-7 advantage at the break. The Indonesian also held a 17-14 cushion at one stage but Srikanth then went on to win seven of the next eight points to roar back into the contest.

In the decider, Srikanth again found the going tough as Christie dominated the rallies, moving from 5-0 to 14-9.

The Indian, however, used his attacking returns and perfect placements to make Christie twist and turn as the tide started to change.

The Indonesian also made a few unforced errors as Srikanth turned the tables with a seven-point burst to move to 16-14. The Indian kept things tight thereafter and punched the air after his opponent went long again.

The in-form women’s doubles duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto also progressed to the round of 16 with a 21-13, 21-16 win over USA’s Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee.

However, the other women’s doubles pair of Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, the men’s doubles pair of M.R. Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, and Aakarshi Kashyap suffered defeats in the opening round.