Kidambi Srikanth's quest for a title at the Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament came to an end as he lost a hard-fought semifinal match against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto. The match, held in Calgary on Saturday, saw Nishimoto prevail with a score of 21-19, 14-21, 21-18. The entire contest lasted for one hour and 18 minutes, showcasing the resilience and determination of both players.

Srikanth, a former world No. 1, started the match strongly by winning the first game 21-19. However, Nishimoto, currently ranked 12th in the world, fought back to win the second game 21-14, forcing a decider. The final game was a tense affair, with the scores leveled at 18-18. Nishimoto then seized the opportunity, capitalizing on a weak return from Srikanth and then watching Srikanth hit two shots wide to secure the victory.

Despite the loss, Srikanth's performance at the Canada Open was a positive sign. In the quarter-finals, he had upset top seed Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei, winning in straight games 21-18, 21-9. This victory against the world No. 9 player demonstrated Srikanth's ability to compete against top-ranked opponents.

The semifinal loss was a missed opportunity for Srikanth to end his title drought on the BWF World Tour. With Kodai Naraoka losing in the other semifinal, the path to the title seemed open for Srikanth. However, Nishimoto proved to be a difficult opponent, not the kind of player that Srikanth, in his current form, enjoys facing. Prior to this match, Srikanth held a 6-4 head-to-head record against Nishimoto. They had not faced each other since 2023, and Nishimoto's tenacity ultimately made the difference.

Throughout the match, both players struggled with their accuracy, particularly on crosscourt shots. A 24-shot rally early in the first game highlighted the challenge Srikanth faced against Nishimoto, but also showed his willingness to engage in patient rallies. In the first game, Srikanth found success with half-smashes across the court, leveling the score at 10-10.

In the third game, Srikanth initially trailed but fought back to gain a 16-14 lead. However, Nishimoto won seven of the final nine points to secure his place in the Canada Open final. Nishimoto will now face Canada's Victor Lai in the final. Lai, world No. 72, created a sensation by defeating second seed Kodai Naraoka.

While Srikanth's campaign ended in the semi-finals, another Indian player, Sankar Subramanian, also faced Nishimoto in the quarter-finals, losing in a hard-fought match. In women's singles, Shriyanshi Valishetty's run ended in the quarter-finals with a loss to Amalie Schulz of Denmark.