Kidambi Srikanth in action against Toma Junior Popov during his quarterfinal clash at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 in Kuala Lumpur on May 23, 2025. Photo: BWF/Badminton Photo
3 years, 5 months, and 5 days. That is precisely how long Kidambi Srikanth had to wait to play another final on a BWF event. On Saturday, the former World No. 1 Indian shuttler brought that prolonged wait to an end by reaching the final of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 in Kuala Lumpur.
The last time Srikanth reached a final was in December 2021 at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain, where he won a silver medal after losing the final to Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. And on the BWF World Tour, his most recent final appearance came six years ago at the 2019 India Open, where he was defeated by Viktor Axelsen in the title clash.
The 32-year-old Srikanth, who advanced to the main draw of the Malaysia Masters after coming through the qualifying stage, defeated 25-year-old Yushi Tanaka of Japan 21-18, 24-22 in 49 minutes. In the second game, Srikanth lost two match point opportunities when he sent his crosscourt smash wide. Though Tanaka had an opportunity to force a decider, he squandered it by going wide.
Srikanth eventually reclaimed the match point by showcasing his tremendous fitness, moving swiftly back and forth to make Tanaka drag himself to the front court, where he fell on his chest. Tanaka drew level again at 22-22, but Srikanth did not let the chance slip this time and sealed his place in the final, where he will meet the winner of the second semifinal between Kodai Naraoka and Li Shi Feng.
Srikanth played his backhand flicks with precise perfection, winning points at the net and rattling Tanaka with sharp net drops and smashes, constantly keeping him guessing - an old Srikanth-like vibe.
'I Have Been Feeling Well'
"Physically, I have been feeling well, but also the fact that I have not played two months of the last year. Playing qualifying, so maybe kind of lost that touch of playing matches. And yes, somehow everything worked out this time," Srikanth told BWF after Saturday's semifinal.
When asked whether he got his touch back, Srikanth said, "I do not know, I have been working hard since last month, very well. It is just, you know, these wins, after a very long injury, that is what has been my emotions." Srikanth celebrated his wins in the quarterfinal and semifinals by pouring out his pent-up emotions.
Asked about his future plans, the Indian shuttler said his only target is to stay fit. "I obviously do not know. I have not really planned anything. It is just about being physically fit, being injury-free, and then playing however many tournaments possible."
Srikanth also emphasised that he now plays to enjoy the game instead of chasing targets. "I do not really have a target of playing the next 100 tournaments this year. It is just about training and being physically fit and then playing. So obviously if I play, I will obviously play to win. So I really want to give myself enough time to recover, to train, and then play this time."
Earlier, Srikanth — ranked 65th on the back of a series of first- and second-round exits over the last three and a half years — reached the semifinals with a hard-fought win over World No. 18 Toma Junior Popov in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter. Srikanth beat Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a gruelling 74-minute battle.
Earlier in the tournament, Srikanth had ousted sixth seed Lu Guang Zu of China and World No. 33 Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in impressive fashion.
Srikanth is now the only Indian shuttler remaining in contention for a title at the Super 500 event. Earlier, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto made a quarterfinal exit on Friday. Kapila and Crasto gave top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China a tough fight in the first game but lost steam in the next, bowing out 22-24, 13-21 in a 35-minute affair.
