China Masters: Kidambi Srikanth avenges Lakshya Sen's defeat with stunning win over Victor Lai for quarterfinal entry

India's star shuttler Kidambi Srikanth produced a vintage performance on Septeber 3, ousting world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada in straight games to storm into the men's singles quarterfinals at the China Masters Super 750 tournament.

Kidambi Srikanth eliminates Victor Lai from China Masters

The 33-year-old former world No. 1 and 2021 World Championship silver medalist displayed remarkable composure to secure a commanding 21-18, 21-19 victory. The win marks a significant scalp for Srikanth, as Lai entered the contest fresh off capturing his second career World Championships bronze medal in New Delhi last month. Srikanth is now set to clash with Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu for a spot in the semifinals.

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Tanvi Sharma knocked out of China Masters

It was a contrasting day for the rest of the Indian contingent in Shenzhen. In the women's singles draw, recent Taipei Open Super 300 champion Tanvi Sharma put up a spirited fight against Japan's world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki, but ultimately fell short in a grueling three-game battle, losing 17-21, 21-18, 16-21.

India's campaign in the mixed doubles division also came to an end in the second round, as the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto suffered a straight-games 18-21, 18-21 defeat at the hands of Chinese Taipei's Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin Hui.

Unleashing a barrage of heavy jump smashes, Srikanth showcased grit from the outset. Though the opening game began on even footing at 3–3, the Indian fell behind 3–7 before capitalizing on a string of mistakes from Lai to level the score at 8–8. Nevertheless, the Canadian—fresh off his breakthrough Super 1000 triumph in Indonesia earlier this season—managed to hold a slender two-point lead entering the mid-game break.

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Lai, who earlier knocked Lakshya Sen out of the tournament, maintained his momentum post-interval, pinning Srikanth with steep smashes to open up a 15–11 advantage. The Indian veteran responded by deep-pushing to the baseline, unleashing a precise jump smash, and outplaying Lai at the net to erase the deficit. Riding high on a sharp cross-court winner to go up 18–16, Srikanth earned three game points with a delicate touch at the net and converted on his second attempt when Lai found the net.

The second game followed a similar script, with Srikanth forced into another comeback after unforced errors saw him trail 5–9 and then 9–14. Staying relentless, Srikanth chipped away at the lead through crisp attacking play and pressure at the net, closing the gap to 13–14 before bringing the score back to parity at 18–18.

With the pressure mounting, Lai conceded an unforced error over the baseline, allowing Srikanth to follow up with a lethal forehand corner winner to earn match points. The Canadian then pushed another shot wide, sealing the victory as Srikanth celebrated a hard-fought performance.