CHINESE men’s singles player Li Shi Feng claimed his inaugural World Tour championship of the season following a decisive victory over India’s giant-slaying K. Srikanth in Sunday’s Malaysia Masters final (May 25).
The world No. 4 Shi Feng dispatched a clearly drained Srikanth (ranked 65th globally) with a commanding 21-11, 21-9 triumph that lasted merely 36 minutes at Axiata Stadium.
China’s second-ranked player had been without a tournament victory since capturing the Kumamoto Masters title in November of the previous year, where he defeated Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in the championship match.
The former world No. 1 Srikanth was required to navigate through qualifying rounds before advancing to the final of this Super 500 event in Malaysia.
For his championship performance, Shi Feng earned prize money of US$35,625 (RM150,800), while runner-up Srikanth collected US$18,050 (RM76,360) for his remarkable tournament run.
