Denmark Open victory pushes Kidambi Srikanth up to 4th in BWF men's singles rankings

What's the Story

Kidambi Srikanth has jumped two spots to the fourth spot in the BWF men's singles rankings, after defeating Lee Hyun-il in the final of the Denmark Open by a 21-10, 21-5 margin.

Srikanth, who will move up to fourth in the BWF rankings, was ranked eighth ahead of the tournament.

This will put him behind Viktor Axelsen, Son Wan Ho and Lin Dan in the rankings. However, if he loses, he will only get as far a 6th, behind the above three, and Shi Yuqi and Chou Tien Chen.

In Case You Didn't Know

The 25-year-old Indian defeated Wong Wing Ki 21-18, 21-17 to reach the Denmark Open finals, before winning the title. Kidambi clinched the Indonesia Open and Australian Open this year and reached the Singapore Open final. He has been on an excellent run and broke into the Top 10 in June.

The Heart of the Matter

He is also set to be No. 1 in Dubai Superseries standing, no.1 in prize money earned by all men or women in all categories in 2017, and No. 4 in BWF world men's ranking. Srikanth was the only Indian left in the tournament, after Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy crashed out in the semi finals.

Nehwal lost to Akana Yamaguchi, while Prannoy lost to Son Wan-Ho of South Korea in the quarterfinals. Srikanth's journey was fraught with obstacles, one of them was world no 1 Viktor Axelsen. Fortunately, Srikant was able to see off the threat.

What Next?

After this win, Srikanth will now turn his attention towards the French Open Superseries, where he could create history, by becoming the first Indian to win four Superseries titles in a year.

Sportskeeda's Take:

The 24-year-old has had a brilliant year, putting Indian men's singles badminton back on the international map once again. He has had to come back from a difficult injury. However, now that he is back in top form, we hope that he can go on to achieve greater glories for his country in the future.