Kidambi Srikanth had breezed through the opening game against World No.1 Son Wan Ho in a scarcely believable 17 minutes in the semi-final of the Indonesia Open on Saturday. He was leading 13-10 in the second game and the result looked like a foregone conclusion.
Son had mostly been reactive in his play and struggled whenever he tried to force the pace of the game. No one could have predicted what came next - unless you've watched Srikanth play in the past. Son won 11 of the next 12 points and forced the match into a decider.
In the Singapore Open final last month, Srikanth had coasted through the opening game and was leading 7-2 in the second, when a similar fate befell him. On that occasion, B Sai Praneeth made him pay by consigning him to his first loss in the final match of a Superseries event.
But on Saturday, Srikanth became the first Indian to reach the final at two consecutive Superseries events after holding his nerve to defeat Son 21-15, 14-21, 24-22.
Srikanth had lost his last four matches against Son. So what sparked the turnaround and what have been the keys to his resurgence of late?
Lesser reliance on smashes
Srikanth's quick reflexes has meant that he has often been guilty of being over-reliant on the smash. Speaking to ESPN a month ago, he had said, "I need to control my instincts and play safe rather than trying to overdo things.
"The smash, for instance, is a part of attacking play and really works against some players but [against] those that it doesn't, I should be able to come up with an alternate plan. Aggression hasn't always worked for me and it's one area I'm working on closely with Gopi sir to turn more adaptable."
The variety in Srikanth's game was in ample display against Son, as though he won four of his first seven points with a smash and the smash remains his biggest weapon, he was wise enough to use it judiciously and to focus on placement rather than power.
Silky net play
While Srikanth is India's most successful male singles player now, he had first started off as a doubles player on the junior circuit and his net play is a treat to watch on most occasions. Against Son, he made full use of his height advantage by drawing Son to the net frequently, which resulted in shorter lifts from the 29-year-old Korean.
Srikanth's lifts were not only deeper but they were also flatter and his backhand flicks confused Son on more than one occasion.
More patience
Son is one of the most defensively solid players on the circuit and his style of play focuses long rallies by returning every shot and frustrating the opponent into making errors. Srikanth, on the other hand, likes to keep points as short as possible and never misses an opportunity to attack.
However, it was Srikanth who won the longest rally of the match - lasting 32 shots - while trailing 12-13 in the deciding game. Despite missing out on two match point opportunities after making unforced errors, Srikanth remained calm and closed the match out on the third opportunity.
Consistency still lacking
As the second game showed, Srikanth still has the tendency of losing points in a bunch and not capitalising on big leads. However, the steep angle of his smashes makes him a very unique proposition.
Srikanth controlled a majority of the points in the third game against Son but his finishing let him down on more than one occasion. He struggled with the drift from one side of the court and went for the smash too early on a couple of other occasions.
Against Japan's Kazumasa Sakai, a player who is ranked 47th in the world and has never been in a Superseries final before, Srikanth will start as the outright favourite because of his experience of playing big matches and performing at clutch moments.