Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament in Bukit Jalil after defeating France's world No. 18 Toma Junior Popov in a thrilling quarter-final match on Friday. The Indian shuttler, currently ranked 65th globally, won 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a contest lasting one hour and 14 minutes.
This victory marks Srikanth's first semi-final appearance of the season and his best result on the BWF World Tour since reaching the Swiss Open Super 300 semi-finals in March 2024.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The opening game saw Srikanth take an early 7-4 lead before Popov fought back to hold a game point at 21-20. Srikanth managed to secure the game 24-22.
Popov dominated the second game, maintaining a four-point lead at the break. Despite Srikanth leveling the score at 15-all, he ultimately lost the game 17-21.
The deciding game proved challenging for Srikanth, who found himself trailing by four points at the mid-game interval. However, he mounted a successful comeback to claim victory in a close finish. This win marks Srikanth's fourth victory in six encounters against Popov. He had previously defeated Ireland's world No. 33 Nhat Nguyen in the pre-quarterfinals.
Srikanth will face Japan's world No. 22 Yushi Tanaka in Saturday's semi-final. Tanaka had earlier eliminated India's HS Prannoy in the round of 16.
In the mixed doubles category, India's campaign ended as Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila lost their quarter-final match. The Indian pair was defeated by China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallists, with a score of 22-24, 13-21.
Srikanth remains the sole Indian representative in the BWF Super 500 tournament following the exit of the mixed doubles pair.
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