Hong Kong Open: Srikanth ousted by Nishimoto in quarter-final

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth made an exit from the ongoing Hong Kong Open after being beaten by Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the quarter-final of the men's singles event here on Friday.

The 25-year-old slumped to a 17-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of the Japanese shuttler in a clash that lasted 44 minutes.

Winning 42 rallies in the match and clinching seven consecutive points, Nishimoto did not break much sweat in handing Srikanth a crushing debacle.

The match started with both the shuttlers moving head to head in the opening game. After being at par with 5-5 points each on the scoreboard, Nishimoto quickly changed the gear and collected four consecutive points to take a healthy lead.

Srikanth could not recover from the blow and trail for the most part of the game. He eventually lost the opener 17-21 to Nishimoto.

The second game proved to be more bizarre for the Indian shuttler as, at a point, he was trailing 4-15 in the game. Srikanth collected a few points in an attempt to revive his situation but the point gap was way too much to be filled. He slumped to a 13-21 defeat in the second game, ending his campaign at the ongoing tournament.

Later in the day, another Indian shuttler Sameer Verma will be looking to book his place in the semi-final of the Hong Kong Open while taking on home player Lee Cheuk Yiu in their quarter-final clash.