SRIKANTH'S SO DAN GOOD

Srikanth Kidambi did the unthinkable on Sunday. The 21-year-old shuttler from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, achieved what suspended World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia couldn't in major events.

On a day when Saina Nehwal had it easy in the final of the China Open Superseries Premier event in Fuzhou, Srikanth defeated the Chinese superstar Lin Dan in straight games. The right-hander silenced the two-time Olympic and five-time world champion 21-19 21-17 in 45 minutes to become the first Indian to win a Superseries Premier title since the Superseries and Superseries Premier events were introduced in 2007.

Srikanth, whose win gave India a maiden 'double' after Nehwal overcame World No. 35 Akane Yamaguchi 21-12 22-20, has been making a steady progress on the international circuit. In fact, his recent performances have seen him overtake the more experienced and popular P Kashyap by one place in the BWF world rankings. Srikanth, who has jumped 15 places since mid-July, is now ranked 16th in the world. "The rankings are an indication of how good he is," chief national coach P Gopichand told dna on Sunday. Incidentally, Gopichand celebrated his 41st birthday on Sunday. He couldn't have asked for a better gift, could he?

Srikanth won his maiden international title, the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold in Bangkok, last year. On Sunday, he scripted history by winning his maiden Superseries Premier final. The quiet shuttler, who prefers his racquet to do the talking has made the most of the international exposure he has been getting of late.

Even if he does not upset higher-ranked players — and he has won quite a few significant conquests against them — he returns a better player after such matches. It was not the first time Srikanth was up against the legendary Dan — widely considered the greatest player to have played the sport — on Sunday. The two had squared off twice before — in the Badminton Asia Championships in April this year and the Thailand Open in 2012. Srikanth lost in straight games on both occasions.

Dan, who has nothing more to achieve, could have had a walk in the park against Srikanth, 10 years his junior. But the Indian did not let the pressure get to him. In fact, he put Dan under pressure. Even when Srikanth won the first game 21-19, it seemed that Dan was only warming up and would have it easy.

But Srikanth had other plans. With nothing to lose, Srikanth, who trains with Gopichand in Hyderabad, fought hard for every point, staying marginally ahead of Dan. Even on the odd occasion that he lost the lead, he came back stronger. One can imagine how brutal the Chinese can be, the superpowers of badminton, in their own land with the vociferous crowd to boot. Srikanth shut out all those factors and concentrated on taking it point by point, even making Dan work hard for his points.

"Srikanth's win is huge for Indian sport," Gopichand said from Hyderabad. "It is so big to beat somebody like Lin Dan in China. Hopefully it will inspire a lot of others to do even better." Gopichand had spoke highly of Srikanth last year. On Sunday, he reiterated the fact. "He is good. The way he played today has showed him in very good light. He looked strong and showed good mental strength."

Throwing light on his ward's mental make-up, Gopichand said, "As a player, he has had his pluses and minuses. He is still improving, especially with respect to his approach. As a young player, he used to be an out-and-out attacking player. He is now able to mix it with some good tactical moves and net play as well."

Former national coach U Vimal Kumar termed it as a "good day for Indian badminton". It is not often that Indian shuttlers, especially men, beat the Chinese. "It is very extraordinary. Four of five of our men's singles players never believed (that they can beat the Chinese) whereas Sindhu and Saina made it big by winning against them, making use of the opportunities they have got. But on Sunday, Srikanth changed that mentality among India's men shutters. This win will really give him a lot of confidence. He can now be expected to show the same approach. He is as good as anybody," Kumar said.

Kumar gave Srikanth full credit for his victory instead of believing that Dan was not at his best. "You have to look at it this way. It is a Superseries Premier event. All the best players were there. The top players lost in the earlier rounds. With Srikanth meeting Lin Dan, whether he was off-colour or not, a win is a win. A player like Srikanth or Kashyap or some others have to take the opportunity whenever it comes their way. That is how you really establish yourself in the big circuit. Even in the tennis circuit, a lot of players take the opportunity to beat a Rafael Nadal or a Roger Federer. They really take it with both hands. When you get the opportunity, you have to grab it. Whether the opponent was good or bad should not be one's concern. Your approach should be to win. That is what Srikanth has done and am very pleased for him."

Srikanth, who was eclipsed by Kashyap, has moved ahead of his statemate in the world rankings. Kumar owed it to the international exposure that Srikanth has been receiving. "What is essential is the opportunities to be able to play in the circuit. If you are not able to make it in two or three years' time, then it is not good. Srikanth has been getting that opportunity and I would thank the sports ministry and others for the support and funding they are giving to Indian badminton. These things are paying dividends now."

ROAD TO GLORY
First Round: Beat RMV Gurusaidutt (IND) 21-11 9-21 21-15
Second Round: Beat Gao Huan (CHN) 21-17 19-21 21-14
Quarterfinals: Beat Kento Momota (JPN) 21-17 23-21
Semifinals: Beat Marc Zwiebler (GER) 21-11 13-7 retd
Final: Beat Lin Dan (CHN) 21-19 21-17

KNOW SRIKANTH
Born: February 7, 1993, Guntur
Singles ranking: 16
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
China Open Superseries Premier (2014): Winner
Singapore Open Superseries (2014): Semifinalist
Malaysian Open Superseries (2014): Quarterfinalist
India Grand Prix Gold (2013): Runner-up
Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold (2013): Winner
Maldives International Challenge (2012): Winner
Macau Grand Prix Gold (2012): Semifinalist
Asian Junior Championships (2011): Quarterfinalist
World Junior Championships (2011): Pre-quarterfinalist
Commonwealth Youth Games (2011): Silver in mixed doubles, bronze in men's doubles

DID YOU KNOW?
Superseries events are open to all players affiliated to the Badminton World Federation. Inaugurated in 2007, the BWF World Superseries is a 12-tournament series where top players compete throughout the year for a place in the season finale, the Superseries Finals in Dubai in December. The top eight players in the five categories qualify for the Superseries Finals. Five of the Superseries events are chosen as Superseries Premier that serve up higher ranking points and prize money. The Superseries Premier events are Malaysia Open, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Denmark Open and China Open. These are as prestigious as the Grand Slam tournaments in tennis