India's Kidambi Srikanth capped a remarkable campaign with a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament here on Sunday, going down in straight games to China's world No. 4 Li Shi Feng in the men's singles final. (Highlights | More Badminton News)
The 32-year-old, who charted a long road back from injuries and missed opportunities, made his first BWF World Tour final in six years, starting from the qualifiers and riding a resurgent wave all the way to the title clash.
However, the former world No. 1 was erratic and struggled to break through the second-seeded Li's solid defence and was unable to convert openings, eventually losing in 11-21 9-21 in 36 minutes.
Despite the loss, it was an inspirational show from Srikanth, who, after slipping to world No. 82 earlier this month, showed grit and class to remind the world of his calibre.
The last time Srikanth reached a BWF World Tour final was at the 2019 India Open, where he also finished runner-up. He was also the silver medallist at the 2021 World Championships.
