Australia Superseries: Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth win to set up all-Indian quarter-final showdown

For the second time in six days, India’s Kidambi Srikanth got the better of Son Wan Ho, beating the World No 1 shuttler 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 in the second round of the Australian Open Superseries.

The Indian shuttler, who had defeated the top-ranked South Korean in the semi-final of the Indonesia Superseries Premier event on Saturday, entered the quarter-final of the Australian Open with his win on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Srikanth’s compatriot B Sai Praneeth also entered the quarter-finals with a 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 win over China’s Huang Yuxiang.

The 24-year-old Praneeth gave a defensive masterclass against the Chinese shuttler, with his net shots playing a decisive role in the deciding game.

The Indonesia Open winner had lost the first game to Son, but rallied back into the match with multiple mid-air drives from the forecourt to clinch the second game.

The third game saw more of the same from Srikanth as he took an 8-5 lead at one point before racing to a 21-13 victory over Son.

Srikanth and Praneeth will face each other once again just months after crossing swords in the final of Singapore Open in April.