Bengaluru Top Guns’ Kidambi Srikanth sent badminton fans in a shock when he defeated former world no. 1 Lee Chong Wei in his team’s defeat to the Hyderabad Hunters in the ongoing Premier Badminton League in Mumbai on Sunday.
The 22-year-old shuttler, who pulled off a 15-12, 6-15, 15-7 win over the Malaysian shuttler, said: “It’s nice to win over someone like Lee Chong Wei. This is the first time I have beaten him in a three-game tie. He has been the world’s best shuttler for around seven-eight years. He has won every possible Superseries in the world. It gives me so much confidence. And it being the first match of the year, it’s a great win for me.
“I was very aggressive today. I took my chances with my smashes and got them perfectly on the line,” added the Top Guns shuttler, who became the first Indian men to win gold at the Swiss Open Grand Prix
Srikanth, who became the first Indian to win a Superseries premier men’s title beating Lin Dan in 2014, said it was difficult to compare both the wins.
“Both wins are very important to me but I cannot rate between the two (Lin Dan and Lee). But the players have different games. Both are kings of their style. So, it’s good to emerge victorious against both these styles,” said Srikanth, who trains at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.
Talking about his plans for the Rio Olympics, he said, “There are as many as 10 tournaments before the Olympics, but I want to play in my comfort zone and not rush things. I want to play to win and perform well. So, I might play all the Superseries and couple of GP Gold events.”
