Kidambi Srikanth Achieves Career-Best World No 2 Ranking

HS Prannoy, who reached the semis at Paris, improved a place to reach a career-best ranking of World No 11.

Kidambi Srikanth reached a career-best World No 2 ranking on Thursday. 

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/BWF)

After back-to-back Super Series wins, Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth grabbed a career-best ranking of World No 2, after jumping two places in the latest BWF ranking released on Thursday.

Srikanth, who has reached five finals and clinched four titles so far in 2017, now has 73,403 points – 4,527 point away from World Champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, who heads the ranking list.

The 25-year-old from Guntur, who clinched titles at Indonesia and Australia, and then at Denmark and France, will have a chance to topple the Dane shuttler with some good show in the upcoming events at China and Hong Kong.

US Open Grand Prix Gold winner HS Prannoy, who had reached the semi-finals at Paris, also improved a place to reach a career-best ranking of World No 11.

Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth, however, dropped a place to be at the 16th spot, while Sameer Verma, who had skipped the events at Denmark and France due to fitness issues, is steady at the 18th place.

In women’s singles, PV Sindhu, who also reached the semi-finals at France, was static at World No 2, while former World No 1 Saina Nehwal was also steady at the 11th spot.

Young men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who entered the quarter-finals last week, after beating the World No 6 combo of Mads Pieler Kolding and Mads-Conrad-Petersen, improved four spots to be at the 28th place.

Women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy slipped two places to be at the 25th spot, while mixed doubles combo of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki were steady at the 16th place.

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