Swiss Open: Srikanth crashes out after losing against Axelsen in semi-final

BASEL: Ace India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Saturday crashed out of the Swiss Open after losing against World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the semi-final.

Denmark's Axelsen outclassed Srikanth 21-13, 21-19 in 41 minutes to proceed to the final of the tournament.

Srikanth failed to get momentum in the first game and struggled to keep the shuttle on the court. In the second game, the Indian player tried to make a comeback but it was denied by the in-form Axelsen as he bagged the close-fought game 21-19.

Earlier in the day, PV Sindhu progressed to the final of the Swiss Open after registering a straight games win over Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt in the semi-final.

Rio Olympics silver medalist clinched the clash 22-20, 21-10 that lasted for 43 minutes. The World No. 2 faced a tough fight in the first game as it went neck-to-neck till Sindhu finally bagged it at 22-20.

But the Indian shuttler showed her class in the second game and did not give any margin and dominated the match. Sindhu will now face either Olympic champion Carolina Marin or Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong for a shot at the Swiss Open title clash on Sunday.

Later in the day, the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will play against Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the semi-final.