Sydney: A resolute Kidambi Srikanth clinched his fourth Super Series title with an incredible straight-game triumph over reigning Olympic and World Champion Chen Long in the Australian Open final here Sunday.
The World No.11 Srikanth won 22-20, 21-16 in a 45-minute clash against the World No.6 Chinese. The triumph is his second successive after clinching the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier title last week.
The Indian was the one to grab the early lead. Following a sedate start, Srikanth capitalised on his opponent’s rather sluggish game to clinch a 10-6 lead. But perhaps jolted by the lead he had conceded, Long gathered himself just in time, starting with a deftly-placed smash, to make it 11-11.The Chinese shifted gears quite suddenly to add pace to the proceedings.
But the Indian was no pushover and played the catch-up game quite well, coming up with a couple of brilliant smashes of his own. And it was this tenacity which got Srikanth a 17-15 lead. Srikanth did not let the momentum slip, and helped by Long’s erratic play, the underdog earned his first game point at 20-19. Long managed to save that with a rasping smash but Srikanth’s perseverance fetched him another at 21-20 when the Chinese was foxed by a low backhand return. This time, Srikanth made no mistake and sealed the first game in 23 minutes.
The second game began with an engaging baseline rally, which ended with Srikanth smashing his way to earn the first point. The see-saw battle continued for a while before Srikanth broke away to lead 6-3, dominating the rallies with his accurately.
But it was not to say that Long was completely out of the contest. He did manage to keep the gap in check with flashes of brilliance that make him among the best in the world. However, Srikanth seemed determined to end his winless streak against his fancied rival and led 11-9 at the lemon break of the second game.
Srikanth did not let the lead slip from that point, raising his game by quite a few notches. It took Srikanth a minute less than the first game to wrap up a rather comfortable victory.
