Top Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated Denmark's Viktor Axelson to win the men's singles title of the $... Read More

HYDERABAD: Continuing his rapid rise in the world of badminton, Kidambi Srikanth dethroned Viktor Axelsen of Denmark to become the first Indian man to win the $120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold on Sunday.

The top seed defeated defending champion and second seed Axelsen 21-15, 12-21, 21-14 to clinch his third international title in 21 months. Down with a hamstring injury, suffered in January, the world No.4 missed dozens of practice sessions coming into the European circuit. Despite being knocked out of the All England in the very first round last Wednesday the 22-year-old braved all odds, staged brilliant comebacks and survived several scares to triumph at St Jakobshalle.

Interestingly, this venue was the favourite hunting ground for Saina Nehwal, who won here in 2011 & 12. But Srikanth made up for her absence much to the delight of Indian fans, who used to make Saina cut her birthday cake every year at St Jakobshalle.

"I am extremely delighted to win the title here," Srikanth said after the victory. Asked how important is the title when compared to his earlier victories, he said, "Every title is important for me. I don't want to compare. I only want to win more and more titles."

Ever since he became the first Indian to win a Grand Prix Gold title (Thailand) in June 2013, the Guntur shuttler endured testing times on and off the court. Injuries slowed down his progress and the brain fever in July, 2014 almost killed him.

But his never-say-die attitude was amply rewarded when he stunned badminton legend Lin Dan to win the China Open Premier, a feat which only very few in the world had achieved. He followed the good work by reaching the semifinals in Denmark and Dubai before losing to his training partner Parupalli Kashyap in the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold in January. Later, both the players suffered injuries and it reflected in their poor performance at Birmingham.

Srikanth looked susceptible even in Basel but carried out with the help some unbelievable strokes, which only a few in the world could execute. The backhand taps close to the nets which look like a slap on the opponent's face and the backhand tosses from the back of court which he executed after the 10th point in the third game, are some strokes which only the likes of a Lin Dan or a Lee Chong Wei can play.

After winning the first game without breaking any sweat, Srikanth relaxed a bit in the second game and was more defensive. He allowed Axelsen to play with ease and gave him space to execute smashes. The Dane found the going easy as Srikanth repeatedly faltered at the net, mostly due to rushing his shots.

The Indian regained his lost touch in the third game and started dictating terms. He first gained control of the net and disturbed the rival with some scintillating smashes which were executed with a lot of deception. When Axelsen expected a crosscourt smash, Srikanth delivered a straight one, when the Dane waited for a backcourt drive, Srikanth came up with a forecourt drop.

The Indian gained complete control after the mandatory change of court at 11-10 in the third game. By misguiding Axelsen to hit into the net, Srikanth rattled the rhythm of the Dane and cruised to his first title in Europe.

Though delighted with the performance of his ward, coach Pullela Gopichand said that Srikanth still needs to do a lot in future. "This is his first title in Europe and I am very happy for him. He needs to stay focused now as the Olympic qualifying year starts soon. He reads the game well and I am expecting more from him," Gopi said.

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