World Championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen kept India’s hopes alive at the Australian Open Super 500 in Sydney by defeating Ayush Shetty in straight games to reach the men’s singles semifinals.
Lakshya, seeded seventh, overcame the 20-year-old Shetty 23-21, 21-11 in a 53-minute contest, setting up a last-four clash against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen.
To begin with, Lakshya had a tough time in the opening game, trailing 6-9 before fighting back to take an 11-10 lead at the break. The Almora shuttler held a slender 19-17 advantage, but Ayush earned the first game point. However, he failed to convert, allowing Lakshya to close out the opener after tense exchanges.
Furthermore, the second game turned one-sided as Lakshya raced to a 6-1 lead, which quickly extended to 15-7. Ayush’s resistance faded, and Lakshya sealed the match comfortably.
Meanwhile, Chou Tien Chen, ranked No. 9 in the world and a 2018 Asian Games silver medallist, defeated Farhan Alwi 13-21, 23-21, 21-16 in a marathon 83-minute battle to secure his semifinal berth.
On the other hand, India’s top-seeded men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited the tournament after losing to Indonesia’s fifth-seeded duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 21-19, 21-15. The defeat ended India’s doubles campaign despite Satwik-Chirag’s strong performances earlier this season at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters.
Finally, Lakshya remains the only Indian in contention in men’s singles after senior pros H.S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth suffered early exits on Thursday.
