Birmingham (England): India's shuttler Lakshya Sen moved into the semi-final after securing a victory against Malaysian shuttler Lee Zii Jia in the thrilling quarterfinal clash of the All England Open at United Arena here on Friday.
Lakshya defeated the former champion by 20-22, 21-16, 21-19, making a sensational comeback after losing the first set by a nearest margin. He and his 10th-ranked Malaysian rival showed an incredible display of skills and determination throughout the match that stretched for an hour and 10 minutes.
This is the only second instance when the 22-year-old has advanced into the semi-finals of the prestigious event after finishing runner-up in 2022. He will be keen to join the elite club of veteran shuttler Prakash Padukone (1981) and Pullela Gopichand (2001), clinching the All-England championship for the country for the first time in 23 years.
The 18th-ranked- player is the lone Indian left in the fray in the All England Open after a shocking second-round exit for World No. 1 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu lost in straight games against the South Korean An Se Young in the women's singles second round.
After losing a tense opening set by 20-22, the 22-year-old was put under immense pressure by the rival shuttler. Lee went all guns blazing and started smashing, but it was Lakshya's defensive solidity that helped him to tackle his attacking moves. Lakshya then seized the opportunity when he saw Lee was tired of smashing.
He changed the momentum towards the end within the blink of an eye, winning seven straight points from 14-16 to force a decider.
The third and final set of the match was once again a cliffhanger. Lakshya, who had just defended all the smashes coming towards his end, took control of the third set and showed some extra aggression. He looked set for a comfortable win when leading 19-15, but Lee then threw the kitchen sink at him and secured four straight points to level the scores, making it a nail-biting encounter. But Lakshya managed to win the crucial last two points to win a thriller 21-19.
Lakshya Sen will now face Indonesia's Jonathan Christie in the semi-final on Saturday. The match will start at 4.50 pm IST.
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