Indian badminton star Kidambi Srikanth will lock horns with sixth seed Jonatan Christie in the quarterfinals of the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Friday.
This is Srikanth's first quarterfinal since winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in August. The former World No. 1 is the only Indian remaining in the men's singles draw at this Super 300 tournament and will be keen to keep his run going.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Jonatan Christie: Head-to-head & prediction
Interestingly, Srikanth and Christie are tied at 5-5 in the head-to-head, with three of their 10 meetings coming this season.
Their first meeting of the ongoing campaign was at the Swiss Open in March, where the Indonesian earned a tight 18-21, 21-7, 21-13 win. They next crossed paths at the Korea Open in April and Christie once again emerged victorious, this time by a 21-19, 21-16 scoreline.
Their most recent showdown was at the Thomas Cup in May. On that occasion, Srikanth turned the tables and came out on top in the all-important clash, 21-15, 23-21.
It suffices to say that Srikanth has a tough job on his hands. Although he has made the quarterfinals for the first time in five events, his performances at the Hylo Open have left a lot to be desired.
The World No. 11 needed three games to see off each of Lu Guang Zu and Arnaud Merkle, both lower-ranked opponents, in his first couple of rounds.
Asian Games champion Christie, on the other hand, will come into this clash way fresher than the Indian. The World No. 7 didn't even have to play a full match in the first round as his opponent, India’s Sameer Verma, retired midway through the opening game.
In the second round, he edged his compatriot Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in two tight games.
This is Christie's third consecutive quarterfinal on the circuit and he will be eager to make it further this time around.
That said, Srikanth does have the potential to cause an upset here, but it will require him to play at his aggressive best and cut down on his errors.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Jonatan Christie: Date and time
Kidambi Srikanth will take on sixth seed Jonatan Christie in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Hylo Open 2022 on Friday.
Date: November 4, 2022.
Time: Approx. 10:30 pm IST.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Jonatan Christie: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Hylo Open 2022 will be broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels only from November 5. Hence, there will be no live telecast of this match on Indian television.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software here.