Kidambi Srikanth overcame fellow Indian Priyanshu Rajawat in a thrilling three-game match to advance to the second round of the Canada Open 2025. The match, held at the Markham Pan Am Centre in Calgary, saw Srikanth, a former world number 1 and silver medalist at the 2021 World Championships, battle back after losing the first game to secure a 18-21, 21-19, 21-14 victory in 53 minutes.

The match between Srikanth and Rajawat was a closely contested affair. Rajawat, seeded seventh, started strong, taking the first game 21-18. However, Srikanth, displaying his experience and resilience, fought back to win the second game 21-19, leveling the score. In the deciding game, Srikanth maintained his momentum, eventually pulling away to win 21-14 and clinch the match.

The Canada Open 2025, officially known as the Yonex Canada Open 2025, is a Super 300 badminton tournament. It is taking place at the Markham Pan Am Centre in Markham, Ontario, Canada, from July 1 to July 6, 2025, with a total prize pool of $240,000.

While Srikanth advanced, other Indian players have also been in action at the Canada Open 2025. Ira Sharma qualified for the women's singles main draw. However, Chirag Sen lost in the men's singles qualifying round. Ayush Shetty and S Sankar Muthusamy are also participating in the tournament. Mixed doubles top seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are the only Indian team in action at the 2025 Canada Open.

Kidambi Srikanth, after finishing as runner-up at the Malaysia Masters in May, will be looking to continue his progress at the Canada Open. In the next round, he will aim to build on his win against Rajawat and further his chances of claiming the title.