World Tour Finals: Srikanth bows out of tournament, Ponappa-Sikki Reddy secure win
India's Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals after losing to second-seeded Malaysian Lee Zii Jia. On the other hand, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy of India defeated the Great Britain pair of Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith.
Published : Dec 03, 2021 10:21 IST
India's Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals after losing to second-seeded Malaysian Lee Zii Jia in straight games in his third and final group B match here on Friday.
The former world no. 1 Indian was no match for Lee, the reigning All England champion, going down 19-21, 14-21 in 37 minutes to end his campaign.
It was Srikanth's second loss to the world no. 8 Malaysian, who had defeated the Indian at Hylo Open in straight games.
ALSO READ | Satwik, Chirag pull out of BWF World Tour Finals
Srikanth trailed 0-3 at the start but made his way to a slim 9-8 lead at one stage. An alert Lee, however, ensured a two-point advantage at the interval.
A six-point burst helped the Indian to again grab a 17-15 lead, but he let it slip as Lee pocketed the opening game.
Srikanth made a good start in the second game, moving to a 7-3 advantage, but Lee once again turned the tables, jumping to 13-9 and kept his nose ahead to eventually shut the doors on the Indian.
On the other hand, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy of India defeated the Great Britain pair of Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith 21-19, 9-21, 21-14. However, the the Indian duo are out of contention after losing to Bulgaria's Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva 19-21, 20-22.