Kidambi Srikanth loses US Open final to World No.46 Su Li-Yang in fierce battle lasting over an hour

India's Kidambi Srikanth faced a 15-21, 21-16, 9-21 defeat in the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament final to world no.46, Chinese Taipei's Su Li-yang. The 33-year-old Srikanth couldn't cope with the 24-year-old's pace in a match that lasted just over an hour.

Unforced errors cost Srikanth early

Srikanth committed unforced errors in the first game. After Li-Yang took an early 7-2 lead, Srikanth fought his way to 10-10. But, after the mid-game interval, Li-Yang regained control. His pace led to errors from Srikkanth. He earned six game points and won the first game 21-15 in 17 minutes.

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In the second game, the two were evenly managed. Srikanth was able to take a 7-4 lead on the back of three back-to-back points. Srikanth had a three-point lead at the interval. The Chinese Taipei youngster's smashes caught Srikanth off-guard, taking a 14-10 lead. But, Li-Yang lacked intensity towards the end of second game. Srikanth capitalised on it and his powerful smashes led to the decider.

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In the third game, Li-Yang did not give Srikanth an inch. Pressure got the better of Srikanth. The loose shots outweighed the good ones as Li-Yang took a four-point lead, heading into the interval.

Srikanth loses momentum after controversy

There was a moment of controversy when the chair umpire denied Srikanth the permission to change his shirt. Li-Yang remained focused and extended the lead to 15-7. The former World No.1 committed a net error. He couldn't stage a comeback as Li-Yang earned 12 championship points. Srikanth managed to get one point before the youngster scripted history won his career's maiden BWF World Tour title.

Srikanth’s 3rd consecutive loss in final 

This is Srikanth's third defeat in the final in two years. He finished as runner-up at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Syed Modi International Super 300 in 2025.

Li-Yang beats 2 Indians in a row to claim title

Earlier, Srikanth had beaten Japan's Yudai Okimoto in a three-game thriller (22-20, 15-21, 21-19) which stretched to 72 minutes. On the other hand, Li-Yang beat India's Rounak Chauhan in straight games (21-17, 21-19) to reach the final.