HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have put the India flag high with their stupendous performance in the men' singles competition of the Indonesia Open Super Series. Though Prannoy, who defeated two superstars, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long, failed to make it to the final, but Srikanth has a chance to win the Indonesia Open title as he is set to face world number 47 Kazumasa Sakai on Sunday.
There is no doubt about Srikanth's talent, but his lack of consistency has been a problem for the Indian shuttler. However, there has been no problems whatsoever for Srikanth in the Indonesia Open, playing some amazing badminton to reach the final.
At the start of the competition, it was always a daunting ask for Srikanth to reach the finals, but he has deserved his place in the final via some amazing performances.
He defeated Jan O Jorgensen in the second round, which gave him the self-belief and he looked in scintillating form to beat world number one Son Wan Ho in the semifinals. Now, he will need to carry that form when he faces Sakai in the final.
Sakai, who defeated Prannoy in the semifinals, was the one, who stopped the dream all-India final from happening. En route to his semifinals, he has not faced a big name, and after beating Prannoy, he will be looking to finish off another Indian, Srikanth in the final.
The Japanese player has looked good in all the matches so far in the Indonesia Open, and will be facing Srikanth for the first time in his professional career.
Both the players must have watched some footage of one another's before the final. If Srikanth manages to use his long reach and connect his strong smashes down the line, Sakai will have huge problems against world number 22.
Where to watch live
Srikanth vs Sakai Indonesia Open men's single final is scheduled at 2:30 pm IST.
The match will be shown live in India on TV on Star Sports 2, with the online live streaming link on Hotstar.
