It was a ‘double delight’ for the Indian badminton fans.
Two Hyderabadis – Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth – scripted one of the most memorable chapters in badminton history when they won the singles titles in the China Open in Fuzhou on Sunday.
It was a perfect birthday gift from Kidambi Srikanth to his illustrious coach and Dronacharya Pullela Gopichand when the former notched up the win, shocking five-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China.
In a way, this was another piece of history as Srikanth has also become the first-ever men’s singles player from India to win the Super Series title and by beating a legend like Lin Dan at that. He not only had to beat the opponent, but the boisterous crowd too!
“This is the biggest win of my career. A truly unforgettable moment and the feeling of this great win is yet to sink in,” he remarked soon after his epic win.
It was a truly magnificent comeback to the circuit by someone who only this July fell unconscious while training at the Gopichand Academy and had to be admitted to the ICU. But within weeks, Srikanth showed what a fighter he is.
Interestingly, the day before the final, when Srikanth called up his father K.V.S. Krishna in Guntur, the latter reminded him that he won a big match at the China Open on November 14, his mother Radha’s birthday, and that on November 16 he should win the title for his ‘guru’ Gopichand.
“He just said he would try his best. And we are all glad that he won the title and dedicates that to Gopi,” the proud father observed.
Coach Gopicand was ecstatic.
“This is a huge win. Honestly, [I] never expected him to beat Lin Dan. But, I must say Srikanth played a superb game. Hats off to him and this should take him a long way ahead in the circuit,” said Gopichand, who is also the chief national coach, pointed out. “This is a great day for Indian badminton,” Gopi added.
Late in the evening, V. Chamundeswaranath, vice-president of Telangana Badminton Association, announced that a brand new car would be presented to the champion shuttler soon.
