Kidambi Srikanth loses quarterfinals to China's Lin Dan in close 3-set contest

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 17: In a close fight game, India's shuttler Kidambi Srikanth lost to Lin Dan of China 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the men's singles event at the Rio Olympics here on Wednesday (Aug 17).

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The 21-year-old from Guntur, who had beaten the five-time World Champion from China in the 2014 China Open final, suffered a 6-21 21-11 21-18 loss against the World No. 3 Chinese in a nerve-wrecking match that lasted for an hour and four minutes.

Rio 2016: Kidambi Srikanth loses quarterfinals to China's Lin Dan in a tight finish match — K Srikanth

Srikanth lost the first set to two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion by 6-21 and looked nervous in the high stake match.

He came back strongly and won the second set 21-11 but lost the match in 3rd set by 21-18. This loss marks an end to Srikanth's journey in the Rio Olympics and India's challenge in the men's badminton.

The left-handed Chinese continued to dominate with his controlled stroke play as he engaged in long rallies with the Indian to lead 10-1 after winning a video referral.

With Srikanth once again hitting long, Lin Dan entered the interval at 11-1. After the break, Srikanth tried to get a hold on his nerves and played long rally but always ended up hitting a wayward shot as Lin Dan continued to surge ahead. In the end, it was two unforced errors that gifted the game to the Chinese.

Lin Dan will now take on his long-time rival and two-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in a mouth-watering semifinal clash.

The top seed beat sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 21-9 21-15.

Srikanth thus remained the second Indian male shuttler to reach the quarterfinals after Parupalli Kashyap achieved the feat at the London Games.

Here's how fans reacted after Srikanth's exit:

Well played @srikidambi To take the two times Olympics champion Lin Dan down to the wire is no mean feat. Proud of your effort. #Rio2016
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) August 17, 2016