Kidambi Srikanth and Priyanshu Rajawat will clash in an all-Indian men's singles quarter-final at the Australian Open Badminton 2023 in Sydney on Friday, August 4.
Former champion Srikanth has so far been in sizzling form at this Super 500 tournament. He first knocked out World No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto 21-18, 21-7 after having lost to the Japanese twice earlier this season.
The 19th-ranked shuttler then followed it up with a 21-10, 21-17 win over Su Li Yang to enter the last eight.
Rising Indian star Priyanshu Rajawat, meanwhile, thumped Nathan Tang 21-12, 21-16 in the first round. The World No. 31 then showed fantastic grit and resilience in his 21-8, 13-21, 21-19 victory over the 28th-ranked Wang Tzu Wei.
Australian Open Badminton 2023, Kidambi Srikanth vs Priyanshu Rajawat: Head-to-head and Prediction
Srikanth and Rajawat haven't yet met on the tour. Hence, their head-to-head remains tied at a 0-0 deadlock.
Rajawat, a 21-year-old shuttler from Madhya Pradesh, has been making his presence felt on the badminton circuit over the past few months. He was a part of India's gold medal-winning team at the Thomas Cup in 2022.
So far, the youngster has clinched four titles at the BWF International Challenge/Series level. He made it to his maiden final on the BWF World Tour at the Odisha Open last year before losing to Kiran George.
This season, he went a step better to claim his first BWF World Tour title at the Super 300 Orleans Masters.
With his confidence soaring, Rajawat will definitely pose a threat to Srikanth in this battle of two generations of Indian shuttlers. That said, the 30-year-old, too, has been showing flashes of brilliance since teaming up with former top-25 player Wiempie Mahardi as his personal coach.
With the Asian Games and the Paris Olympic qualification in mind, the former World No. 1 is looking to get back to form at the earliest. He has made three quarterfinals on the tour prior to this week, all of which he went on to lose. If Srikanth brings to the fore his aggressive barrage of shots and manages to rein in his unforced errors, he could reach his first semifinal this year on Friday.
Read: Australian Open Badminton 2023: Preview, schedule, where to watch & live streaming details in India
Australian Open Badminton 2023, Kidambi Srikanth vs Priyanshu Rajawat: Date and time
Kidambi Srikanth will take on Priyanshu Rajawat in the men's singles quarte-rfinals at the Australian Open Badminton 2023 on Friday in the sixth match of the day on Court 2.
Date: August 4, 2023
Round: Quarte-rfinals
Time: Approx. 3.45 pm local time; 11.15 am IST
Venue: State Sports Centre in Sydney, Australia
Australian Open Badminton 2023, Kidambi Srikanth vs Priyanshu Rajawat: Where to watch & live streaming details
This Australian Open Badminton 2023 match will not be broadcast live on any channel in India. Live streaming will, however, be available on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.