Can Lakshya Sen Overcome Chou Tien Chen to Secure His Spot in the Australian Open Final?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Lakshya Sen demonstrated resilience by coming back from a game down.
- The match against Chou Tien Chen lasted over an hour and was highly competitive.
- Sen is the last remaining Indian player in the tournament.
- Sen's performance reflects his potential for future victories.
- Men's doubles pair, Rankireddy and Shetty, faced elimination.
Sydney, Nov 22 (NationPress) India’s star badminton player Lakshya Sen triumphed over Chinese-Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in a gripping semifinal match, thereby advancing to the final of the Australian Open Super 500 held at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.
In an impressive display of resilience, Sen rallied from a game down to defeat the second seed, Chen, with scores of 17-21, 24-22, and 21-16 in a match that lasted one hour and 26 minutes.
Initially, Sen faced significant pressure as Chen surged ahead with an early 4-0 lead and took the first game 21-17 after leading 11-6 at the break. Despite Sen's efforts to close the gap, Chen maintained his composure.
The second game was fiercely contested, with both players trading leads. However, Sen showcased his skills in a nail-biting finish, clinching the game with two consecutive points at 22-22.
In the decisive third game, Sen quickly established dominance, leading 11-6 at the mid-game break. He extended his lead to 14-7, and a service fault from Chen further widened the gap to 17-9. After a precise cross-court smash, Sen earned himself eight match points. Although Chen saved four of them, he ultimately faltered, hitting the net, which allowed Sen to secure a remarkable comeback victory.
Sen remains the only Indian competitor in the tournament after dispatching a determined Ayush Shetty in straight games to reach the semifinals on Friday.
In men's doubles, top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Su Ching Heng and Wu Guan Xun of Chinese Taipei, but were eliminated by fifth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri with scores of 19-21, 15-21.
Earlier, HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth faced early exits in the men’s singles event on Thursday.