While Singapore Open 2017 has seen Men's singles top seeds slip away in the opening rounds, it will be two unseeded shuttlers - Kidambi Srikanth of India, Anthony Ginting of Indonesia - taking part in the second semi-final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Srikanth stunned All England runner-up and world number eight Shi Yuqi in the quarter-final outing yesterday in just 34 minutes with a scoreline of 21-14, 21-16. On the other hand, Ginting made light work of higher-ranked Vincent Ki Wong in his last-eight match 21-19, 21-14.
Srikanth, who reached the quarter-final of 2016 Rio Olympics suffered a stress fracture that hampered the second half of last year's season. On his comeback, the 24-year-old started the season well with a semi-final appearance at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, but had been struggling at major tournaments as he was ousted from All England Championships and India Open in the early stages.
However, the world number 29 has done well to make use of the absence of big names, including Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Jan O Jorgensen, to survive till the Saturday in Singapore. The win against Shi has given him confidence and the former China Open champion believes he is in with a chance to go the distance.
"I am feeling confident now. My movements are quick compared to last few months and, if I play 100 per cent tomorrow, I definitely have a chance," Srikanth said, as quoted by BWF's official website.
On the other hand, Ginting has been leading Indonesia's campaigns in Grand Prix Gold tournaments (three semi-final apperances in 2017) but the 20-year-old is yet to make a mark in Superseries tournaments. Having fought his way to the semi-final here, the world number 26 will be keen to the distance, but he has to be at his best to stand a chance against Srikanth.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports 2
Malaysia: Astro Supersport
Singapore: StarHub Sports
