The 32-year-old, a silver medallist at the 2023 World Championships, produced a stellar performance, displaying flashes of his vintage form with sharp net play and aggressive shot-making to overcome world No. 23 Tanaka 21-18, 24-22 in a gripping encounter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This marks Srikanth\u2019s first BWF World Tour final appearance since he finished runner-up at the 2019 India Open. His last title came in 2017, a year which saw him lift four silverwares.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Once ranked world No. 1, Srikanth has slipped to 65th in the rankings, having battled a dip in form and fitness in recent years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Expressing his excitement of reaching the final after a six-year hiatus, Srikanth said, \"Pretty happy\".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Physically I've been feeling well, but also the fact that I haven't played tonight or this last year, playing qualifying, so maybe kind of lost that touch of playing matches. Somehow everything works well this time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I haven't really planned anything. It's just about being physically fit, being injury free, and then playing how many hours it's possible. I don't really have a target of playing when it's done, so it's just about training and being physically fit and then playing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Obviously, if I played, I would have just played a bit. So, I really want to give myself enough time to recover, to train, and then play this time,\" Srikanth added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I haven't really planned anything. It's just about being physically fit, being injury free, and then playing how many hours it's possible. I don't really have a target of playing when it's done, so it's just about training and being physically fit and then playing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> LIVE Cricket Score<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n