HYLO open badminton: Kidambi Srikanth survives NG Ka Long Angus scare to enter semifinals

Berlin: Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth showed great determination to outwit NG Ka Long Angus in a hard-fought match and cruise into the semifinal of the HYLO Open Super 500 badminton in Saarbrucken, Germany on Friday.

The sixth seed Srikanth subdued the higher-ranked Hong Kong shuttler 21-11, 12-21, 21-19 in a men’s singles quarterfinal that lasted one hour four minutes. Srikanth, ranked 15, hardly broke a sweat in the first game, taking a 1-0 lead.

However, Indian lost momentum in the second game as the world no.9 Angus levelled the proceedings. Both players dominated a game each but the decider was fought on an even keel.

In the end, Srikanth had five match points to seal the deal but the former world no one squandered four before eking out a narrow win.

With the win, Srikanth levelled the head-to-head record against Angus. Both shuttlers now have three wins each against each other. Srikanth will take on Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the semifinals.