Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Mar 26: India’s renowned Badminton star Kidambi Srikanth beat Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, the World No. 3 and second seed, in a hard-fought three-game match to reach the Swiss Open men’s singles semi-final at St. Jakobshalle.
Srikanth got off to a good start and led 9-1 in the first game, but Antonsen came back bravely to score 10 points in a row as both players headed into the first game break with the Danish player leading by 11-9.
After a see-saw battle, Kidambi claimed three points in a row after the break to grab the lead for the first time.
In the second game, Srikanth got out to a similar start, establishing a 9-6 lead early on. He led 11-9 at the halftime break. Following the break, both shuttlers fought valiantly and were tied at 19-19, but Anders Antonsen won the second game 21-19 to tie the game at one game apiece.
The World No. 3 player from Denmark seized an early 4-1 lead in the third and final game, but Srikanth, the previous World No. 1, scored three straight points to tie the game at 4-4.
At 7-7, Antonsen won six straight points to take a 13-7 lead, but Srikanth was not about to give up without a fight, winning six points in a row to tie the game at 13-13. Srikanth took three straight points at 15-15 to take an 18-15 lead, but the Denmark shuttler fought back to take a match point at 20-19, but Srikanth held his nerve to win the third and final game 22-20.
Kidambi Srikanth, who won in a one-hour and 19-minute quarter-final match, will now face World No. 8 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia for a place in the final.
