US Open 2026: Kidambi Srikanth Loses Final To Su Li Yang

Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth’s wait for a BWF World Tour title went on after he lost to Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang in the men’s semifinals of the US Open Badminton tournament in Fullerton, US, on Sunday. The 33-year-old went down 21-15, 16-21, 21-9 in one hour and nine minutes.

Su started fast and led 10-5 in the opening game before Srikanth levelled at 10-10. The Taipei player then won seven straight points to take the game. Srikanth responded well in the second game, moving from 15-13 to 20-13 and converting his fourth game point, but he faded in the decider.

In the final game, Su kept close until 9-7, then took eight consecutive points to finish the match. Srikanth, who faced an opponent nine years younger, could not hold the momentum after spending extra energy in the second game.

Sportsmanship moment before the final

En route to the final, Srikanth also showed sportsmanship in a tense semifinal moment. When officials refused to change a wrong call despite strong protests, he walked to the referee and gave the point to Japan’s Okimoto.