India's Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the men's singles second round with a thrilling three-game win over compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat at the Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Calgary on Wednesday.
The 2021 World Championships silver medallist Srikanth, who had finished runner-up at the Malaysia Masters in May, recovered from a game down to prevail 18-21, 21-19, 21-14 in a pulsating 53-minute opening-round clash.
It was a fierce battle between the two academy mates, who had faced off twice before, with Rajawat emerging victorious on both occasions — including straight-game wins at the German Open earlier this year and the 2023 Australian Open.
There was little to separate the duo in the opening game, as they moved neck-and-neck from 6-6 to 17-17 before Rajawat stepped on the gas to take the lead.
Srikanth trailed initially after the change of sides in the second game but showed resilience to turn the tables, first levelling at 9-9 and then surging ahead 12-9. The two remained locked in a tight contest until 18-18, when Srikanth broke free to push the match into the decider.
In the third game, Srikanth kept his nose ahead for the most part, but Rajawat clawed back to 14-14. However, the senior shuttler raised his game in the closing stages, reeling off seven of the next points to seal the contest.