TOKYO: India’s ace shuttler Lakshya Sen bowed out in the semifinal of the Japan Open 2023 on Saturday.
Indonesia shuttler Jonatan Christie turned out to be a tough challenge for the Commonwealth gold medallist. He lost the first game by 21-15, without posing much of a threat.
The opening game saw both players engage in short rallies. However, it was Lakshya who held a two-point advantage heading into the first break. The fifth seed Christie, shifted a couple of gears, to leave the Indian badminton player behind. The Indonesian shuttler took the first game comfortably.
The young Indian shuttler made a remarkable comeback as he dominated the entire second game to take the semi-final clash to the final game. He didn’t allow the Indonesian shuttler to gain momentum as he ended the second game with 21-13.
Lakshya failed to replicate his performance from the second game as the Indonesian shuttler made a comeback to seal his place in the finals by winning the third game 21-16.
Earlier in the tournament, he registered a straight-set 21-15 21-19 victory over Watanabe to make his third successive semifinals, following his exploits in Canada and the United States.
The defeat against Christie marked his second successive semi-final exit. Sen suffered a dissapointment earlier in the month after he bowed out of the competition in the semi-finals. The Commonwealth Games champion lost to the world number seven and All-England Champion Li Shifeng by 17-21, 24-22, 17-21 in a hard-fought match that lasted an hour and 16 minutes.
Results at Japan Open will be considered in the player’s qualifying rankings for the multi-sport event in Paris next year. (ANI)