Despite a strong run through the tournament, Srikanth was unable to mount any real challenge in the title clash. The 32-year-old Indian had reached his first BWF final in nearly six years, having last finished runner-up at the India Open in 2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt has been a pretty good week. It\u2019s my third tournament. I played decently well in the first two as well, but couldn\u2019t really win those matches. But pretty happy with the way it went so far,\" Srikanth said after the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNot exactly the way I wanted to be today, but still, I think he (Feng) played well. I\u2019m just very happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy. There was a point in my career where I was pretty used to being standing there, and then it\u2019s been a while,\" Srikanth added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the semi-final, he overcame Japan\u2019s World No. 23 Yushi Tanaka in straight games, 21-18, 24-22, on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Srikanth, once a dominant force in men\u2019s singles, made history in 2017 by becoming the first Indian to win four BWF titles in a calendar year -clinching the Indonesia Open, Australian Open, Denmark Open, and French Open. The following year, he played a pivotal role in India\u2019s gold medal triumph in the team event at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In this year\u2019s Malaysia Masters, Srikanth had to come through the qualifying rounds before defeating Ireland\u2019s Nhat Nguyen in the Round of 16. He then edged past France\u2019s Toma Junior Popov in a tightly contested quarter-final, 24-22, 17-21, 22-20, and cruised past Tanaka in the semis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the final proved a step too far as Li Shi Feng, who claimed his first BWF title of 2025 following last year\u2019s Japan Masters win, proved too strong.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Once ranked among the world\u2019s best, Srikanth has been struggling in recent years. He missed out on the Tokyo Olympics due to injury and the cancellation of qualifiers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistent ankle injuries have since hampered his consistency, and he had slipped to World No. 65 earlier this month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the final proved a step too far as Li Shi Feng, who claimed his first BWF title of 2025 following last year\u2019s Japan Masters win, proved too strong.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> LIVE Cricket Score<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n