Srikanth Marches Towards Second Title Since 2017, Faces Hong Kong's Gunawan in Syed Modi Final

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Lucknow, India: Kidambi Srikanth, a former world No.1, took a significant step towards claiming his second title at the Syed Modi India International by defeating compatriot Mithun Manjunath in a thrilling semi-final match on Saturday. Srikanth, currently ranked 38 in the world, dominated the three-game encounter, winning 21-15, 19-21, 21-13, to set up a final showdown with Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan. Srikanth, who won the event in 2016 and is eyeing his second crown since 2017, showed excellent control over his serve and flicks to outmaneuver Manjunath, who had previously beaten him twice. Manjunath, a silver medallist at the 2023 Asian Games, put up a strong challenge in the second game but ultimately fell short against Srikanth's vintage touch. In the men's doubles, top-seeded Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand continued their winning streak, defeating the Malaysian pair of Ong Shin Yee and Carmen Ting 21-11, 21-15 in the semi-finals. However, India's hopes in women's singles were dashed as Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda failed to cross the semi-final hurdle. Tanvi, who had a stunning win over former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in the quarter-final, fought valiantly against Japan's Hina Akechi but ultimately lost 17-21, 16-21. Tanvi expressed her determination to work harder on her game to give better results in bigger events like Super 500 and 700. Unnati, on the other hand, was brushed aside by Turkey's Neslihan Arin 15-21, 10-21. Srikanth will look to capitalize on his momentum and claim his second title since 2017 when he faces Gunawan in the final. With a 2-0 unbeaten record against his Hong Kong opponent, Srikanth is confident of emerging victorious.