Newly crowned China Open champion Kidambi Srikanth on Sunday "gifted" his Super Series Premier title to India's chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand on his 41st birthday.
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Sunday turned out to be a watershed moment in Indian badminton's history as for the first time two titles are coming home from a Super Series event. While Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal clinched the women's singles crown beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, Srikanth downed five-time World Champion Lin Dan to clinch the men's title.(Saina, Srikanth Win China Open Titles)
"To beat Lin Dan in a final is a dream come true. I just played my 100 percent because there was nothing to lose. Before coming here, I was playing well. When I beat my compatriot R.M.V. Gurusaidutt in the first round, I felt confident because it's always tough to beat a player who knows you well. I just wanted to win each round that I played," said the 21-year-old Srikanth.
"As I got close to a second game win, I just told myself to focus on the next point, since I have lost a few matches while leading. Today's my coach Pullela Gopichand's birthday, so this title is a gift to him," added Srikanth, who had lost his previous two outings against the two-time Olympic champion.
For 'Super' Dan, the defeat was his first in a final since the 2012 Korea Open to Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
"I'm glad to be in the final, it's a pity I could not win. I was injured during the last month, so getting into the final made me happy. Srikanth played positively. The loss of the first game affected my mood. I hadn't practised the last few weeks, so I could not adjust my game," Dan said.