Eighth seed Kidambi Srikanth takes on unseeded Japanese shuttler Kenta Nishimoto in the Men's singles final of 2017 French Open in Paris on Sunday, October 29.
Srikanth continued his dream run when he came back from behind to beat compatriot and world number 12 HS Prannoy 14-21, 21-19, 21-18 in the semi-final to book his spot in a fifth Superseries final of the ongoing year.
Srikanth ready to battle fatigue
The world number four is currently on a nine-match unbeaten run, which includes the Denmark Open title last week. While the winning momentum is clearly on his side, Srikanth has conceded he is "feeling tired" ahead of the final match. However, the Indian shuttler maintains he is ready to face the challenge on the big day.
"I think I am feeling tired now, just one more left. I just hope I can recover myself for tomorrow's match. I am really thinking of doing well. I am not worried about the results, it is just to play my best, that's it," Srikanth said after his semi-final outing on Saturday.
He added: "It is the kind of mindset we have these days, we are not really scared of longer matches and that gives us the edge over any players."
Given his new-found superhuman consistency and his conversion rate of 75 percent (3 wins in 4 matches) in Superseries finals, Srikanth stars as the overwhelming favourite against Nishimoto, whom he defeated in their only career meeting at the Singapore Open in April.
A very close match today but happy to be on the winning side. Looking forward to coming back on court tomorrow.#teamindia #believe #achieve pic.twitter.com/4cIafYoDvv
— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) October 28, 2017
Impressive Nishimoto
However, Nishimoto will be high on confidence after reaching the final after starting the tournament as a qualifier. The world number 45 produced the biggest upset in Paris when he stunned Lee Chong Wei as early as in the opening round.
The 23-year-old also has beaten the likes of Sai Praneeth, Anthony Ginting en route, but the final test against in-form Srikanth might prove to be a tough ask.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The men's singles final will not start before 3pm local time, 6:30pm IST.
Live streaming and TV coverage
Global live streaming: BWF YouTube channel
India: TV: Star Sports 1. Live streaming: Hotstar
Malaysia: TV: Astro Supersport. Live streaming: Astro Go
Singapore: TV: Star Hub. Live streaming: Starhub Go
Live scores can be followed on BWF's official website.
