Advertisement

Updated December 17th, 2021 at 18:44 IST

20-year-old Lakshya Sen ensures 2nd medal for India at World Championships after Srikanth

Lakshya Sen guaranteed himself and India a second medal by defeating China's Jun Peng Zhao 21-15, 15-21 and 22-20 in what ended as a closely fought contest.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
BWF World Championships: Lakshya Sen
Image: PTI | Image:self
Advertisement

Alongside Kidambi Srikanth, 20-year old Lakshya Sen also assured India a second medal at the BWF World Championships on Friday.

Both shuttlers entered the men's singles semi-finals after dominating performances. Meanwhile, reigning champion PV Sindhu is out of the tournament after losing to Tai Tzu Ying in the women's category.

Lakshya Sen assures India of second medal

Debutant Lakshya Sen guaranteed himself and India a second medal by defeating China's Jun Peng Zhao 21-15, 15-21 and 22-20 in what ended as a closely fought contest. Even though the 20-year old Indian started on the back foot, having lost five of the first seven points in the first set, he quickly tied the scores at 6-6 after hitting two outstanding smashes.

The two shuttlers continued to go neck and neck until Zhao scored two back to back points to gain an 11-9 advantage at the interval. Soon after, the two engaged in a fantastic 30-shot rally, with Sen coming out on top to take a 14-13 lead. While the Chinese player showed his quickness on the court, it was not enough to beat the accurate shot play of the Indian. Sen eventually took the first set 21-15 by making a stunning comeback after a slow start.

The close battle between the two shuttlers continued into the second set, with the Chinese player once again taking an 11-10 advantage into the interval. However, unlike the first set, Zhao demonstrated a much better resolute defence on this occasion to win the second set 21-15.

Similarly to the first two sets, Zhao again began the third set on the front foot. However, a quick smash and an error from the Chinese player helped Sen level the scores at 5-5 in the decider. Zhao then once again took control of the game as for the third time in a row, he took a lead into the interval (11-8). As the Chinese shuttler seemed to be getting away in the final set, Sen hit two outstanding smashes to level the scores at 19-19. Soon after, the Indian had a match point, which he converted with another smash.

Sen will now face Kidambi Srikanth for a place in the semi-finals of the BWF World Championships, thereby ensuring India of two medals, with one of them being a silver at the least.

Advertisement

Published December 17th, 2021 at 18:44 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo