Dubai: India’s K. Srikanth believes he can even go all the way at the ongoing BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals being held at the Hamdan Sports Complex here.
Srikanth, playing some of his best badminton, has qualified for the men’s singles semi-finals of the season finale thanks to two wins in his first two matches in Group B, matched only by world champion Chen Long in Group A.
The 21-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, progressed despite losing to world number three Jan O. Jorgenson from Denmark 17-21, 21-12, 21-14 late on Friday ahead of Saturday’s semi-finals.
Srikanth said much of his good form is due to the hard work he has put in during the past six months. “There is really no secret to what I am doing on the court. I have been working hard with my coach [P. Gopichand] for the past few months and now this work is being seen with the results,” he said.
Srikanth is the highest-ranked Indian men’s player on the international circuit with a world ranking of six. His biggest achievement to date was his triumph in the 2014 China Open Superseries event, where he beat Chinese star Lin Dan in straight sets.
“For the time-being that win [against Lin] will be the biggest of my career. But what it taught me is even greater as I realised the importance of playing against the big stars and coming out of it. And here, if I can play my best, I know I can go a long way,” he said.
“I come here with a lot of form. Over the past few months I have learnt to concentrate on the important aspects of keeping my mind alert and sharp and ensure I put everything inside the court. Mentally I have trust in what I’m doing out there and that gives me a lot of confidence.
“The plan now is to take one match at a time and I need to give my best to see if the results will continue. I am mentally prepared and if I can play my best then I think I have a good chance. I am enjoying my badminton and with the crowd behind me it looks like I am playing in India.”
