Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth produced a brilliant performance to upset world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada 21‑18, 21‑19 and reach the China Masters Super 750 quarterfinals.
Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist, displayed composure and tactical precision, saying he focused solely on his own game plan. “I wasn’t thinking about how he has been playing. I was only thinking about how I should play,” he said after the match.
He will next face Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong for a place in the semifinals.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty overcame French brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov 21‑15, 22‑24, 21‑9 after a tense mid‑match slump. The pair now meets Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the quarterfinals.
There were mixed results for India elsewhere — Tanvi Sharma lost a close three‑game battle to Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto fell to Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin Hui.
Srikanth’s resurgence and Satwik‑Chirag’s consistency underline India’s growing depth in world badminton as the tournament heads into its decisive stages.
