The match began with promise for the Indian veteran, who dominated the opening game to take an early lead. However, the momentum shifted as the world number eight from France adjusted his strategy to level the match. In a tense decider, Srikanth appeared to be in control, holding a 15-13 advantage, but he was unable to close out the match, conceding eight consecutive points to hand the victory to Lanier.
Mixed Fortunes for Indian Contingent
The exit of Srikanth follows a difficult tournament for the Indian men’s squad. Earlier in the competition, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were eliminated in the opening round, while the prominent men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a surprising early departure.
While the men’s singles challenge has concluded, there was a bright spot in the women’s doubles category. The pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a place in the quarterfinals after a resilient performance against Indonesia’s fifth seeds, Rachel Allessya Rose and Febi Setianingrum. Despite trailing 11-9 in the opening game, the Indian duo rallied to claim a 21-16, 21-17 victory.
Elsewhere, Ashmita Chaliha found the going tough against Japan’s three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi. Although Chaliha showed flashes of form in the first game, the third seed ultimately proved too strong, closing out the match 21-18, 21-10. As the tournament progresses, attention now shifts to Tanvi Sharma, who remains in the hunt for India in the women’s singles draw, with a match scheduled against Germany’s Yvonne Li.
