Ningbo (China): Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen bowed in the opening round of men's singles at the Badminton Asia Championships after suffering a straight-game loss to local favourite and top seed Shi Yu Qi here on Wednesday.
World Championships bronze medallist Sen gave a good account of himself and fought tooth and nail but the higher-ranked Chinese eventually proved to be too strong as the Indian lost 19-21 15-21 in the gruelling opener that lasted 53 minutes.
Contrary to the final result, Sen gave his Chinese opponent a run for his money in the first game and didn't allow him an aggressive start. Sen showcased brilliant court coverage and indulged the Chinese in long rallies before picking up points with his smashes and inch-perfect drop shots to lead 11-7 at the change of ends. But then, Shi Yuqi displayed his skills and determination to make a remarkable comeback in the set. He read the game and movements of the Indian shuttler and used the combination of deceptive and drop shots to take the two-point lead with 14-16 on the board by securing five points in a row.
Then the set saw another comeback as Sen was in no mood to give up without a fight as he drew level at 19-19 before Qi pocketed the first game.
The win in the second set was much needed to take the match in the third set and to give himself the best chance to make an upset. The 22-year-old Sen opened the second set with a 3-1 lead but failed to maintain the lead again. He worked hard to keep the rallies alive and made some brilliant diving saves to not allow easy points to his opponent, and at one point led 9-8 and didn't give up and dived deep to save a point and then brought the equation down to 11-12.
But then unforced errors started to creep into the Indian's game. He lost steam and conceded easy points as Qi regained control and ran away with the second game. The world number two proved why he is the best in the business and didn't let his rival come closer in the second set. The Chinese shuttler secured a comprehensive victory over the Indian by 2-0 (19-21, 15-21).
As the Paris Olympics 2024 looms, athletes from all disciplines, including badminton, are vying for a place at the world's biggest sporting event as the qualification window is expected to close on April 28. The names of the qualified athletes will be announced on April 30. (With agency inputs)
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