Kidambi Srikanth, at 32 years of age and ranked 65 in the world, is back in a BWF final after “a while.” “I don’t know, I lost track of it,” he said after a stellar, turning-back-time performance to reach the Malaysia Masters Super 500 final beating Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 24-22.
The last time he reached the final of a non-team BWF event, the world was a different place. It was the 2021 World Championship, a pandemic-era event where the Olympics and the Worlds were held in the same year. The top players were all worn out and a new champion emerged in Loh Kean Yew, who beat the Indian. To be even more specific, the last BWF final for Srikanth was back at the 2019 India Open, when he lost to Viktor Axelsen.
Viewed from any lens, Srikanth reaching a BWF final in 2025, after fighting his way through qualifying is a remarkable moment. Why should reaching the final of Super 500 be a big deal for a former world No. 1 player who has beaten Lin Dan and Axelsen in finals back in his day? Because this week in Malaysia, the 32-year-old turned back the clock with a vintage shot-making performance, now reinforced by a mentality that’s back from the brink and newly-found fitness. In other words, Srikanth has rediscovered his prodigious touch – and balanced that with mental and physical wherewithal. To do that after falling down to the 80s in world ranking, struggling with injuries and overcoming his own propensity for self-sabotaging errors is worth celebrating, even before the final.
In the semifinal against Tanaka, Srikanth exhibited both these old and new attributes. In the first game, where the Japanese player had led for most part, the Indian’s deft wrists found winners when needed to clinch it at the end from 16-16. In the second, which turned nervy with a point separating both from 17-17 to 22-22, Srikanth needed all his mental and match sharpness to stay in the next points after an inadvertent error. Something he often struggled to do in decisive moments.
A big moment for ���� Kidambi Srikanth!
Hear what he had to say after the win. ��️#BWFWorldTour #MalaysiaMasters2025 pic.twitter.com/w5RxEClOQF
– BWF (@bwfmedia) May 24, 2025
The best example of this was a lifetime-highlight-reel worthy shot at 22-21 – a deceptive drop shot so smoothly manoeuvred from the back court that no opponent would have had a chance at returning it. It was proof of Srikanth’s ridiculous level of racquet skills and court craft, one that made him world No. 1 and a genuine treat to watch when on song.
Also impressive was that at a time in the match when he would normally be winded, he grinded out that next shot, the next point and then the match points… and fell on the ground spread eagled in relief and joy.
“I’ve been working hard last month, really hard… these wins, after a very long injury, that is why the emotion,” he said afterwards.
This straight-games win came a day after a fantastic fightback which lasted 74 minutes against Toma Popov, where he had to use all his smarts and stamina to cross the finish line after a close, close decider. In fact, his age-old ailment of errors in crunch moments almost got to him… till he regrouped and willed himself after squandering three match points.
Semifinals up for grabs as Kidambi Srikanth ���� contests Toma Junior Popov ����. #BWFWorldTour #MalaysiaMasters2025 pic.twitter.com/UxN8I1ThZf
– BWF (@bwfmedia) May 23, 2025
This willpower, which made him train hard and become fitter than the last few years, which made his slug it out in qualifiers after his rankings plummeted, and which got him his first final after years, is perhaps more valuable as his undoubted talent to a 32-year-old body.
Srikanth admitted that not playing many matches had dulled his ability. “The fact that I haven’t played too many tournaments this last year. Playing qualifying and all, so maybe kind of lost that touch of playing matches. And yeah, somehow everything worked out this time.”
This week should sharpen his skill and his ranking, which will give him a dual boost. He has played six matches in five days, spent 310 minutes on court, played three deciders, against all opponents but one ranked above him. In a draw cleared of seeds (with a little help from his friends as Satish Karunakaran beat Chou Tien Cho and HS Prannoy beat Kento Nishimoto while Srikanth beat Lu Guang Zu in the first round), Srikanth had an opportunity to do something special and he pounced on it like it was a low-floating shuttle at the net. A physical and mental test that he has passed with flying colours, and footwork.
On Sunday, he will play China’s Li Shi Feng for the trophy, a player he has beaten only once in 4 matches. It will be a final where Srikanth’s explosive shot-making will be key, after a week that has tested his endurance to the extreme. It’s also the final step in a redemption arc that no one saw coming… from qualifiers to the final is a journey not many make.
Srikanth has always been someone who has played to win – he will keep attacking, even if the ratio between winners and errors is in the red. For that ratio to enter green, for his shots to click along with his feet, is a cinematic chance for a player who is not sure how long he has left at the top of the sport. “I haven’t really planned anything. It’s just about being physically fit, being injury free, and then playing how many ever tournaments possible. obviously if I play, I will play to win. So, I really want to give myself enough time to recover, to train, and then play this time,” he said after the win over Tanaka.
If he recovers and can end this memorable week with a trophy, this may well be Srikanth’s redemptive moment as well as Indian badminton’s first real highlight in a long, long time.
