Olympics

Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019

Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

Koushik BiswasMay 24, 2025 at 07:22 AM • 2 min read
Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019
Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

Kidambi Srikanth turned back the clock in spectacular fashion, battling past Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 23-21 in a heart-pounding semi-final at the Malaysia Masters on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Indian badminton star, once the world’s best, is now headed to his first BWF World Tour final since 2019—a moment that feels like a triumphant homecoming for fans who’ve cheered him through thick and thin.

Srikanth, who had slipped to world number 82 earlier this month, battled through the qualifiers to reach the main draw of the tournament. Srikanth's journey to the final has been nothing short of inspiring, as he outclassed higher-ranked opponents with a combination of determination and resilience.

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The tightly contested match against Tanaka saw Srikanth hold his nerve in crunch moments, particularly in the second game, where he edged out a 23-21 victory after a very close finish.

This achievement marks a significant comeback for the Indian shuttler, who has faced challenges with form and rankings in recent years. His last BWF final appearance was at the 2019 India Open against Viktor Axelsen, and this achievement in Kuala Lumpur signals a potential return to his peak form.

Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

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Badminton NewsKidambi Srikanth

Koushik Biswas

Koushik Biswas is the founder and content head of Sportz Point. He has been a sports lover since his childhood, idolising Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Lionel Messi. Koushik played cricket for 7 years and has a passion for every sport. His nack for analysing games and talking about sports has helped him create hundreds of content for Sportz Point.

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