NEW DELHI: India's highest-ranked shuttler Kidambi Srikanth was defeated by the reigning world champion from Japan, Kento Momota in the men's singles semi-final on Saturday 16-21, 12-21

The Japanese player was clearly playing better as he raised his game with every passing point to push Srikanth out of the contest and win in two comfortable straight games.

This was the 12th match between Srikanth and Momota. After Saturday's win, the Japanese now dominates the head-to-head with a healthy 9-3 margin.

The scoreboard reached 16-10 in favour of Momota, making it more tough for Srikanth to bring the match on level terms. The jump-smashes from Momota kept getting lethal as he ended points in style to lead 19- 12. Momota ended the second game at 21-12 to enter in the final.