India’s Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the second round of Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament with a come-from-behind win over world No. 5, Indonesian Jonatan Christie, here on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old, who is now ranked world No. 24, notched up a stunning 12-21, 21-18, 21-16 victory over sixth seed Christie in the opening round match that lasted an hour and five minute.
The former world No. 1 will face Hong Kong’s NG Ka Long Angus next.
Srikanth lagged 4-7 initially and though he managed to make it 8-7 briefly, all hopes went up in smoke when Christie blazed off nine straight points to leave him stranded.
Srikanth opened up a 4-0 lead in the second game but Christie again zoomed ahead to grab an 11-7 advantage at the break.
The Indonesian also held a 17-14 cushion at one stage but Srikanth then went on to win seven of the next eight points to roar back into the contest.
In the decider, Srikanth again found the going tough as Christie dominated the rallies, moving from 5-0 to 14-9.
The Indian, however, used his attacking returns and perfect placements to move to 16-14.
