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India's campaign at the BWF Super 300 tournament ended as Kidambi Srikanth, the former world No. 1, lost to Kenta Nishimoto in the semi-finals of the men's singles event at the Canada Open 2025 badminton tournament in Ontario on Sunday, Olympics.com reported.
Kidambi Srikanth, 49th in the men's singles badminton rankings, won the first game but squandered the lead to lose 19-21, 21-14, 21-18 to Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, the world No. 12 and third seed, in an hour and 18 minutes, according to Olympics.com. The Indian badminton player, who defeated Chou Tien-Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, also had a strong start against Kenta Nishimoto. Kidambi Srikanth overcame a trail of 18-16 to win the first match. According to the Olympics.com report, Srikanth maintained his momentum and quickly jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the second game after Kenta Nishimoto tied the score at 14-all. At that moment, the Japanese increased their speed and won the following seven points in a row to tie the score. The decider, a tense one, swayed like a pendulum. Once 6-1 behind, a fruitful phase in the middle saw Srikanth lead 12-8. Kenta Nishimoto also responded to draw level at 18-18 before wrapping up the game and match. This was Kidambi Srikanth's fifth loss to Kenta Nishimoto in 11 meetings. The head-to-head was tied at five-all heading into Saturday's fixture. Kidambi Srikanth was the only Indian challenge left at the Canada Open. In women's singles, Shriyanshi Valishetty's spirited run came to an end in the quarterfinals. The 18-year-old pushed Amalie Schulz to the brink in a three-game thriller but eventually lost 21-12, 19-21, 19-21, wrapping up a memorable campaign. Indian badminton players will be in action next on the BWF World Tour at the Super 750 Japan Open, which begins on July 15. (ANI)
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