Ace India shuttler Srikanth Kidambi was forced into a tough battle before securing his spot in the final of the Syed Modi International in Lucknow on November 29. In the semi-final of the Super 300 event on Saturday, Kidambi held his nerve to record a 21-15, 19-21, 21-13 win over his compatriot Mithun Manjunath. Joining him in the final are the Indian women’s doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who moved into the summit clash with a dominant 21-11, 21-15 victory over the Malaysian duo of Carmen Ting and Ong Xin Yee.
A day earlier, Sharma, a teenage sensation, had managed a notable win by registering a 21-13, 21-19 triumph over Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan Happy to reach the final-four. This came after she bettered former World Champion Nozomi Okuhara in the pre-quarters, rallying from a game down to win 13-21, 21-16, 21-19 in 59 minutes.
In the other quarter-final results that led to the semifinals, Hooda had earned her place with a 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 victory over compatriot Rakshitha Ramaraju. Before beating Hooda in the semis, the Turkey star Arin had knocked out Isharani Baruah in a close match, 19-21, 21-13, 15-21. Finally, the mixed doubles pairing of Jolly and Harihara Amsakarunan were also defeated, going down to the Indonesian duo of Bernardine Anindiya Wardana and D Ferdinansyah in two tight games, 17-21, 19-21.