Kidambi Srikanth upset Olympic champion Lin Dan, in the final of the China Open Super Series, and became the second Indian player to win a tournament of such stature.
After India's rising badminton star, Kidambi Srikanth, notched up a stunning win over China's Lin Dan, in the final of the China Open Super Series, in Fuzhou, the spotlight has come on the Andhra Pradesh shuttler, who may just make the move from obscurity to stardom, post this victory.
The China Open was Srikant's first ever Super Series title win, and may open the floodgates for Indian badminton in the near future, considering that beating Dan is definitely no mean achievement.
Srikanth, who hails from a typical middle class family, was an obscure player in the badminton world in 2012, thanks to a ranking of 240, which did no justice to his now burgeoning talent.
The rise from 240 to a current world ranking of 13, was no easy task for Srikanth, and the lanky lad had to sweat it out in Pulella Gopichand's badminton academy in Hyderabad for a while, to handle the rigours of professional badminton.
That stint probably did wonders to Srikanth's career, as the lad began to rise, slowly but steadily, amongst the current breed of young Indian shuttlers, which was evident by his solid performances on the national circuit.
Srikanth's first big breakthrough came in 2013, when he upstaged then national champion, Parupalli Kashyap, in the 2013 All India Senior National Championships at New Delhi, thus heralding his rise amongst the country's most talented shuttlers.
Up followed more glory in the international circuit, when Srikanth beat Thailand veteran, Boonsak Ponsana, and clinched the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold, at Bangkok in 2013, which made him the second Indian player after HS Prannoy, to win a tournament of such stature.
Despite his recent successes, life has not been easy for Srikanth, who has had to endure the rigours of staying away from his family at Vishakapatnam, and also sacrificing his childhood years, in his quest to become a professional badminton player, a fact which he would look back fondly on as for now.
Srikanth's plus points are his lightning quick reflexes, and also his ability to dictate play at the net, which are vital ingredients in the making of a badminton superstar.
The young turk will have the challenge of managing his temperament in big matches, and also will have to work upon closing out tight encounters, factors which will definitely have an impact on his future career.
Fortunately, Srikanth has solid backing from the GoSports Foundation, which has sponsored his financial needs for the sport so far, which will help him sustain himself in the competitive world of professional badminton.
Memories of that painful quarter-final loss to Singapore's Derek Wong, in the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, have long vanished in thin air, and it is a new Srikanth that has risen to the fore in Indian badminton.
So after his historic win over Dan, the stage is set for Srikanth to achieve even greater things for Indian badminton, and it will be no surprise if the Andhra lad does manage to emulate mentor Gopichand, and pulls off an All England win in the years to come by.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Kidambi-Srikanth")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}