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Kidambi Srikanth, the former world number one, showed courage on Friday to secure his spot in the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament’s semi-finals in Bukit Jalil.

In a thrilling match that lasted an hour and fourteen minutes, Srikanth defeated France’s world No. 18 Toma Junior Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in the men’s singles quarterfinals.

After falling down during the mid-game break, Srikanth, who is now ranked 65th in the world, had to fight hard in the decisive game. With his usual tenacity, the Indian shuttler rallied to defeat Popov for the fourth time in six encounters and earn a spot in the season’s first semifinal.

This is Srikanth’s greatest BWF World Tour performance since his March 2024 run to the Swiss Open Super 300 semifinals. The Indian got out to a fast start in the first game, winning 7–4. Popov bounced back fast, however, and even managed to hold a game point at 21–20. To reverse the tide and win the game 24–22, Srikanth displayed poise.

The momentum changed in the second game, with Popov leading by four points going into the half. Although Srikanth was able to tie the score at 15-all, he was unable to keep up with the pace and ultimately lost the match 17-21. At the mid-game break of the final, Srikanth was once again four points down. However, in a tight finish, he outlasted Popov and advanced to the last four by displaying incredible tenacity and court knowledge. In the pre-quarterfinals, Srikanth had already beaten Nhat Nguyen, the 33rd-ranked player in the world. In the semi-final on Saturday, he will now take against Yushi Tanaka, ranked 22nd in the world by Japan. In the round of 16, Tanaka had previously eliminated HS Prannoy of India.