Kidambi Srikanth’s China Masters 2026 campaign ended in the quarterfinals after he lost to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
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Kidambi Srikanth’s China Masters campaign ends in the quarterfinals(Photo: PTI)
Kidambi Srikanth’s impressive run at the China Masters 2026 came to an end in the quarterfinals on FridayThe former world No1 went down in straight games against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu at the Shenzhen Arena.
Srikanth lost the contest 16-21, 16-21 in 39 minutesDespite the defeat, his run at the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament was an important one as he reached the quarterfinal stage at a Super 750 event or higher for the first time in three years.
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China Masters 2026: Full schedule, Indian players, Prize money and Live streaming details
Lee maintains control against Srikanth
Srikanth tried to make a strong start, but Lee quickly settled into the match and began controlling the ralliesThe Hong Kong shuttler built a useful advantage in the opening game and did not allow the Indian enough chances to make a full comeback.
The second game was more competitive, with Srikanth showing greater resistance and keeping the scores close for long periodsHowever, Lee handled the important points better towards the end and closed out the match in straight games.
The result also extended Lee’s advantage in their head-to-head recordSrikanth has now lost his last four matches against the Hong Kong playerHis only win over Lee came in the opening round of the 2018 India Open.
Srikanth’s strong run in Shenzhen
Although the quarterfinal exit will be disappointing, Srikanth can take plenty of positives from his campaign.
The Indian began his tournament with a comfortable 21-16, 21-15 win over Chinese Taipei’s world No21 Chi Yu-jenHe needed only 35 minutes to complete the victory.
Srikanth then produced one of the biggest wins of his China Masters campaign by defeating Canada’s world No9 Victor Lai 21-18, 21-19 in the pre-quarterfinalsLai had recently won bronze at the World Championships, making the victory an impressive result for the Indian shuttler.
However, Lee proved too strong in the last-eight clash and ended Srikanth’s hopes of reaching the semifinals.
Satwik-Chirag keep India’s hopes alive
With Srikanth’s exit, India’s remaining challenge at the China Masters rests on the shoulders of men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The former world No1 pair reached the quarterfinals after beating France’s Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov 21-17, 22-24, 21-9.
They were scheduled to face Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen for a place in the semifinals.
India’s women’s singles campaign had already ended with Tanvi Sharma’s defeat to Japan’s Tomoka MiyazakiThe mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also bowed out after losing 21-18, 21-18 to Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang-Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui.
For Srikanth, the China Masters may have ended in disappointment, but reaching the quarterfinals at this level marks a positive step in his recent campaign.
