Kidambi Srikanth was knocked out of the Hong Kong Open following a straight-game semifinal defeat to Lee Cheuk Yiu 9-21, 23-25 today.
Srikanth fell back early in the opening game with Lee opening up a 6-1 lead. The Indian tried to catch up but failed to narrow the gap.
In the second game, Srikanth stepped up taking an early 5-1 lead. However, Lee soon restored parity.
Srikanth had beaten the 23-year-old Lee in straight games at the India Open last year in their only career meeting.
With Srikanth’s defeat, the Indian challenge Hong Kong Open also came to an end.