Australian Open badminton: No stopping Srikanth as Indian ace closes in on second straight title

One more win and Kidambi Srikanth will have a second badminton title in just seven days. Srikanth just seems to be going from strength to strength, and after being the only Indian to enter the semifinals of the 2017 Australian Open in Sydney, Srikanth made sure Indian challenge would remain in the tournament by storming into the final.

All eyes, usually, are on PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, who bowed out in the quarterfinals on Friday, when it comes to Indian badminton, but Srikanth, with his own head-turning displays, is slowly changing that trend.

After clinching the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier title last Sunday, Srikanth put himself on course to land a second consecutive crown by beating Shi Yuqi of China with considerable ease.

The Indian needed just 37 minutes to see off the challenge from Shi, beating the No.4 seed 21-10, 21-14.

That win came after another commendable performance against his compatriot B Sai Praneeth in the quarterfinals. It is never easy when you're playing an opponent you know so well, but Srikanth found the right gear when it mattered most.

In a tight first game, Srikanth edged Praneeth, before coming through in the second to setup this semifinal. And Srikanth hasn't had an easy path to the final, with the 24-year-old having to beat the world number one Son Wan Ho in the round of 16 – the second time he has done that in as many tournaments.

Confidence is clearly flowing through the Indian at the moment, and if he continues to play in this manner, another title could very well be his.

Standing in his way will be Chen Long of China who beat Lee Hyun-il of South Korea in a hard-fought second semifinal. These two play the second semifinal later in the day in Sydney.