In a surprising turn of events this Monday, former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth was knocked out of the 2023 Badminton World Championships right at the start. He suffered a straight-sets defeat to Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, who closed out the match 21-14, 21-14 in just 47 minutes. Srikanth actually started strong, leading 6-3 early on and holding an 11-9 advantage at the midpoint of the first game, but he was unable to close it out as Nishimoto began a patient and effective comeback.
Former World No.1 Kidambi Srikanth was eliminated from the 2023 Badminton World Championships in the very first round on Monday. Srikanth exited the tournament after a straight games’ loss to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, who crushed him 14-21, 14-21 in just 47 minutes. Indian shuttler Srikanth, who had a 6-3 lead over 14th seed Nishimoto, was unable to hold on after leading in the opening set at the midway point. Srikanth led the first game 11-9 at the break. The second half of the first game saw an extraordinary turnaround of fortunes as Nishimoto patiently worked his way into the match.
By forcing several mistakes from the Indian athlete, Nishimoto claimed the first game 21-14. He carried that momentum into the second set, quickly establishing an 11-6 lead. Even though Srikanth showed flashes of brilliance at the net—leading commentators to question why he didn't employ that tactic more often—he struggled to maintain his serve for any significant period and lost the second game 14-21.
Srikanth was the only Indian man in the singles category to exit in the first round. The day was otherwise successful for India, with HS Prannoy beating Kalle Koljonen 24-22, 21-10, and Lakshya Sen dominating Georges Julien Paul 21-12, 21-7. Prannoy, who is ranked world no. 9 and has reached the quarterfinals in the last two tournaments, now holds a 3-0 head-to-head record against the Finnish player.
Lakshya Sen, the current Commonwealth Games gold medalist, controlled his match from the start, winning the first set in only 25 minutes to join Prannoy in the next round. After earning a bronze in the previous event, Sen is set to face Jeon Hyeok Jin of Korea in the second round, while Prannoy will go up against Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
The clash between Prannoy and Koljonen was a high-intensity affair, characterized by great tactical awareness from both sides. The match was decided by a combination of precise backhand blocks and aggressive cross-court smashes, with Prannoy eventually securing the win after holding 12 match points. Meanwhile, Sen's victory over Paul was far more one-sided; despite Paul's attempts to claw back into the game, Sen remained in total command throughout the performance.
In the women's draw, former champion PV Sindhu is scheduled to face Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the second round. On a less positive note, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy were knocked out following a grueling, hour-long battle against Scotland's Adam Hall and Julie Macpherson.