Kidambi Srikanth storms into US Open 2026 with thrilling win over Japan's Yudai Okimoto

Ace Indian badminton player Kidambi Srikanth secured his spot in the men's singles final of the US Open Super 300 championships after a hard-fought win over Japan’s Yudai Okimoto.

Kidambi Srikanth makes US Open final

The former world number one and 2021 World Championships silver medalist battled for 72 minutes to edge past the 33rd-ranked Okimoto with a tight 22-20, 15-21, 21-19 scoreline, marking his first final appearance of the season. Srikanth is now set to clash with Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang, currently ranked 46th in the world, for the title.

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Su Li Yang earned his place in the final by halting the impressive, fairytale run of India's rising talent, Rounak Chouhan. Competing in his very first Super 300 tournament, Chouhan put up a strong fight but ultimately fell straight games, losing 17-21, 19-21 in the other semifinal matchup.

India's women's campaign ends in US Open

Meanwhile, India's campaign in the women's singles came to an end in the final four. Sixth seed Devika Sihag, who captured the Thailand Masters title earlier this year, took the opening game but could not sustain the momentum against Denmark’s second seed, Line Christophersen. Sihag eventually lost the 54-minute semifinal encounter with a score of 21-15, 11-21, 15-21.

Currently ranked 38th in the world, Srikanth opened the match with immense control, quickly building a 9–5 lead and extending it to a commanding 17–10 cushion. However, Okimoto launched a stunning fightback, clinching 10 of the next 12 points to flip the script and secure a game point opportunity. The 33-year-old Indian veteran regrouped just in the nick of time, rattling off three consecutive points to snatch the opening game.

The second game saw a shift in momentum as Okimoto returned to the court determined to force a third game. Controlling the tempo and dictate the rallies, the Japanese shuttler held a narrow 11–9 advantage at the mid-game break before steadily extending his lead to comfortably level the match.

The deciding game became a tense, see-saw battle. Srikanth initially regained his rhythm to pull ahead 10–5, only for Okimoto to erase the deficit and momentarily snatch a 13–12 lead. Showing his trademark resilience, the Indian countered with a burst of six straight points to surge ahead 18–13. Despite a final, gritty push from Okimoto to level the scores at 18–18, Srikanth kept his composure under pressure to close out the thriller.