Kidambi Srikanth said he had never even dreamt of winning three Superseries titles in a year following his Denmark Open 2017 success on Sunday, October 22.
The world number eight and India's top-ranked shuttler continued his dominant run in the ongoing season with his third Superseries title in 2017 and fifth overall.
A good end to the Denmark Open and very happy with my performance today.Thanks to everyone who've been supporting me throughout the week. pic.twitter.com/pplryF2A4s
— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) October 22, 2017
The 25-year-old, who was seeded eighth at the World Superseries Premier tournament, hit winners at will in the men's singles final against South Korean veteran Lee Hyun il at Odense on Sunday. Srikanth did not break a sweat as he demolished his lower-ranked opponent 21-10, 21-5 in what could be labelled as one of the most one-sided finals in the recent past.
"I can't say it's a dream, because I've never dreamt of winning three Superseries in a year. I just want to continue playing well," Srikanth said after Sunday's win, as quoted by BWF's official website.
He added: "I expected it to be a better final. He has experience and I expected him to turn it around. But my attack was working perfectly. He must've been tired after the long match yesterday.
"It's been a fantastic week for me. I'm looking forward to coming back next year. I'm really happy with the way I was playing, today [Sunday] was fantastic for me, I couldn't believe I won it in straight games. I've beaten some top players this week, so I'm very happy."
Early success and Rio heartbreak
Srikanth was ranked as high as world number three after he had won his first two Superseries titles in 2014 and 2015, respectively. However, he suffered a dip in form in 2016, which also saw him crash out of Rio Olympics after a heartbreaking defeat in the quarters, which affected the shuttler a lot, according to coach Pullela Gopichand.
A ankle injury added to his disappointment as the Hyderabad shuttler was ruled out of the European circuit last year. Srikanth though worked hard on his fitness during his time off the courts and the results are there to be seen.
Resurgence in 2017
The addition of Indonesia coach Mulyo Handoyo also has worked wonders for Srikanth. The Guntur lad, who was compared to badminton great Taufik Hidayat by the Indonesian tactician, has become one of the most consistent shuttlers of the season.
Srikanth started drawing attention when he reached the final of Singapore Open in April only to lose to compatriot Sai Praneeth over three games in the final. However, Gopichand's ward buckled up and went on to win two Superseries titles on the trot - in Indonesia and Australia.
Notably, he defeated reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in the final in straight games in Sydney, much to the delight of his coach.
Srikanth also revealed in Denmark how he was disappointed not to go past the quarter-final stage at World Championships, in which he was considered one of the favourites. However, the Indian shuttler went on to overcome the last-eight hurdle in Denmark when he stunned reigning world champion Viktor Axelsen in the quarter-final on Friday, October 20.
