Fourth seed Kidambi Srikanth takes on in-form Japanese star Kento Momota in the men's singles semi-final of Malaysia Open 2018 — a World Tour Super 750 tournament in Bukit Jalil on Saturday, June 30.
When does the semi-final start and how to watch it live
The highly-anticipated semi-final will not start before 2 pm local time, 11:30 am IST and 7 am BST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
It will also be available on "BA Malaysia" YouTube channel.
Srikanth vs Momota preview
India's top-ranked men's singles shuttler couldn't have asked for a tougher test on his return to competitive action after nearly a two-month break.
Srikanth hasn't had much success against Momota, who leads their head-to-head meetings 5-3. Notably, the world number 11 from Japan hasn't lost to the Indian shuttler since January 2015 and won their last two meetings before he faced a one-year gambling ban.
Momota is right on track to return to the top-five of world rankings following a highly successful run of form in the recent past. The highly-rated southpaw has stitched a 20-match unbeaten run in the lead up to Saturday's semi-final, decimating the likes of world champion Viktor Axelsen and Olympic champion Chen Long without breaking a sweat.
The in-form Japanese sensation made light work of Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen in Friday's quarter-final to book his spot in the last-four round, which also has local favourite Lee Chong Wei and Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia.
Srikanth, on the other hand, hasn't dropped a game yet in the ongoing tournament. The 25-year-old though has not played an opposition of Momota's calibre yet in Malaysia.
The man from Guntur, who won the first of his four record-equalling Superseries titles in the month of June last year, has struggled for consistency in the ongoing season but a win against Momota will provide the much-needed confidence for him.
However, it is easier said than done, as Momota, who has no real weaknesses, is also in the form of his life.
Global TV listings and live stream: Malaysia Open 2018
- Malaysia: Astro Arena, Astro Arena HD; Live stream: Astro Go
- China: CCTV 5+
