Kidambi Srikanth knocked out of China Masters after painful defeat against Hong Kong shuttler

Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen, falling to Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in a straight-games quarterfinal defeat. The former world No. 1 was unable to sustain his momentum, eventually succumbing 16-21, 16-21 in a match that lasted just under 40 minutes.

Kidambi Srikanth crashes out of China Masters

Entering the clash on the back of an impressive straight-games victory over Canada's world No. 9 Victor Lai, the 33-year-old Indian looked set to build on the resurgence that saw him reach the US Open Super 300 final earlier in the season. However, world No. 25 Lee quickly seized control of the rallies, keeping the Indian veteran on the back foot for most of the contest after taking charge midway through the opening game.

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Lee Cheuk Yiu outclasses Srikanth in quarterfinal

The opening game saw Srikanth establish an early three-point cushion, only for Lee to quickly wipe out the advantage. The Hong Kong shuttler then seized complete control, stringing together six consecutive points to build a commanding 14-6 lead. Despite a late rally from the Indian to narrow the gap, Lee stayed steady to take the opening game with ease.

The second game proved far more competitive, even though Srikanth once again jumped out to a 4-0 start. Lee responded immediately to level the scores at 4-4, setting off a tense, back-and-forth tussle. Both shuttlers traded blows in extended rallies, remaining neck-and-neck until the scores locked at 15-15.

With the game hanging in the balance, Lee unlocked a higher level to seize control. He broke away from the parity with three straight points to establish an 18-15 cushion before comfortably reeling off another three-point run to close out a commanding straight-games victory.

The 30-year-old Hong Kong shuttler—who previously made headlines at the Singapore Open in May with a thrilling comeback victory over All England champion Lin Chun-yi—now advances to the semifinals, where a marquee matchup against world No. 2 Christo Popov of France awaits.