Thailand Open: Former world number one Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth bows out in qualifiers

ANI May 13, 2025 314 views

Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth suffered another early exit, falling in the Thailand Open qualifiers. His recent form remains inconsistent with just one quarter-final in eight tournaments. Tharun Mannepalli emerged as the sole Indian to progress from qualifiers. The spotlight now shifts to Lakshya Sen and Treesa Jolly in the main draw.

"In his last eight outings, Srikanth has managed just one quarter-final appearance." – Tournament Report
Thailand Open: Former world number one Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth bows out in qualifiers
Bangkok, May 13: Former world number one Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth failed to qualify for the main round of the Thailand Open 2025 as he crashed out of the tournament with a defeat in his second match in the qualifiers on Tuesday.

Key Points

1

Srikanth lost to Tharun Mannepalli in qualifiers

2

Struggling with just one semi-final in 14 tournaments last year

3

Tharun only Indian to advance past qualifiers

4

Lakshya Sen, Treesa Jolly set for main draw

In the first round of qualifiers, the world championships silver medallist ousted Sankar Subramanian 21-15, 21-17 but lost in the second against Tharun Mannepalli 21-15, 21-17.

In his last eight outings, Srikanth, ranked 71st in the men's singles, has managed just one appearance in the quarter-finals, highlighting his turbulent phase. Last year, he made just one semi-final appearance after competing in 14 tournaments.

Tharun, ranked 53rd, was the only Indian to advance past the qualifiers. He will continue India's challenge in the main draw, which kicks off on Wednesday. Before outwitting Srikanth, Tharun defeated Chinese Taipei's Kuo Kuan Lin 17-21, 21-19, 21-17 in the closely contested opener.

Ayush Shetty, who stormed into the semi-finals of the Taipei Open Super 300 last week, opened his account with a dominant 21-10, 21-11 victory against Finland's Joakim Oldorff. However, in his second fixture in the qualifiers, the 20-year-old bowed out of the tournament following a 21-14, 22-20 defeat against Malaysia's Justin Hoh. Sathish Karunakaran's campaign also came to a bitter end after a 17-21, 21-12, 21-12 loss to Malaysia's Aidil Sholeh.

In the women's singles category, Ira Sharma staged a flawless comeback to defeat Myanmar's Thet Hthar Htuzar 18-21, 21-8, 21-12 in her opener. However, she could not carry her winning momentum against Thailand's Thamonwan Nithiittikrai and lost by 21-12, 21-18 in the second.

India's only mixed doubles pair in the qualifiers, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan, crashed out of the tournament with a defeat against Chan Yin Chak and NG Tsz Yau of Hong Kong China 21-8, 21-10.

On Wednesday, Lakshya Sen, the Paris 2024 Olympics men's singles semi-finalist, world number 10 women's doubles duo Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly and the rising sensation Unnati Hooda will take the court.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
Really disappointing to see Srikanth's form continue like this. He was our pride when he became world no.1, but now struggling even in qualifiers. Hope he finds his rhythm soon! 🇮🇳🏸 #ComeBackStronger
P
Priya M.
Tharun Mannepalli defeating Srikanth is a big upset! Shows how competitive badminton has become. Wishing Tharun all the best in main draw - make India proud! 🤩
A
Arjun S.
Srikanth needs to work on his consistency. One good tournament followed by multiple early exits won't help his ranking. Maybe he should consider changing his training approach?
S
Sneha P.
Excited to see young players like Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda coming up! Our badminton future looks bright despite senior players' struggles. 💪
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Vikram D.
Malaysia and Chinese Taipei players dominating against our shuttlers shows we need more international exposure for our players. BAI should organize more training camps abroad.
N
Neha R.
Mixed doubles performance was disappointing. We need to focus on developing all categories, not just singles. China's dominance comes from strength in all formats.

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Tags:
Kidambi Srikanth Thailand Open Badminton Tharun Mannepalli Lakshya Sen