INDONESIA’S Taufik Hidayat was sensationally dumped from the world badminton championships yesterday by little-known Anup Sridhar from India in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Olympic champion Hidayat, seeded eight in the event, clawed his way back into the match after losing the first game, but ultimately had no answer for the lanky Indian, ranked just 41st in the world.

Hidayat seemed sluggish during the first game but showed flares of brilliance towards the end as the pair matched point for point, before the Indian edged home in a 21-14, 24-26, 22-20 thriller.

Hidayat applauded the cheering crowds afterwards but left the arena without speaking to waiting media.

Sridhar said despite having never beaten the Indonesian star before, and cramping in his left leg towards the end, he was determined to hold on and claim the biggest scalp of his career.

“I knew I had a chance but you never think you can beat someone like that,” said Sridhar, who moves into the third round.

“I was getting a little desperate because I was upset at losing the very close second. I was getting desperate and making too many unforced errors.”

Sridhar has never won a top tournament and was bundled out of last year’s worlds in the first round. But the Indian national champion from Bangalore said he was not getting carried away just yet.

“I won this match but I’m still only in the last 16, I don’t think it’s that big. Maybe if I win another match, but not yet,” he said.

In other action, defending champion Xie Xingfang led the Chinese charge for gold, steamrolling her way into the third round with a 21-2, 21-7 win over unseeded Ana Moura from Portugal.

It was the defending champion’s first outing at Putra Stadium and the twig-thin Xie barely raised a sweat on her way to the third round.

Teammate and world No. 1 Zhang Ning was also never troubled by Jang Soo-young in her opener, downing the South Korean 21-9, 21-14.

(SD-Agencies)