BWF World Championships 2022: Kidambi Srikanth vs Zhao Jun Peng preview, head-to-head, prediction, where to watch & live streaming details
Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Kidambi Srikanth will square off against World No. 23 Zhao Jun Peng of China in the second round of the 2022 BWF World Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The former World No. 1 has fond memories of making the final of this prestigious event last year. Having finished runner-up to Loh Kean Yew, Srikanth will look to go all out to claim the gold he missed in the last edition.
The Indian began this year's campaign with a tight 22-20, 21-19 win over World No. 38 Nhat Nguyen in the first round on Monday.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Zhao Jun Peng: Head-to-head & prediction
Srikanth and Jun Peng are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head. Jun Peng won their first meeting at the 2017 All England Open in three gruelling games. Srikanth turned the tables on the Chinese a couple of weeks later at the India Open with a straight-game victory.
The Indian has come to this tournament off a bronze-medal finish at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, having guided India to their maiden Thomas Cup triumph a few weeks before that.
Although Srikanth is ten spots above the 23rd-ranked Zhao Jun Peng in the world rankings, he isn't likely to have an easy time. The 26-year-old Peng is having a good season, making the final of the Indonesia Open and the Singapore Open semifinals.
Jun Peng is also the fresher of the two players, as his first round opponent, Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori, gave him a walkover. Srikanth, meanwhile, toiled hard for 51 minutes in his opener to subdue Nhat Nguyen.
So it goes without saying that Srikanth will need to be at his attacking best and cut down his errors to stand a chance of progressing to the third round.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Zhao Jun Peng: Date and time
Kidambi Srikanth will take on Zhao Jun Peng in the men's singles second round (Round of 32) at the 2022 BWF World Championships on Wednesday.
Date: August 24, 2022; Timing: Approx. 1.40 pm local time/ 10.10 am IST.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Zhao Jun Peng: Where to watch & live streaming details
The BWF World Championships 2022 games are being broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. The matches can also be streamed live on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories as well.