NEW DELHI: India’s Lakshya Sen exited the All England Badminton Championships following a straight-game defeat to Chinese world No. 6 Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles quarterfinals on Friday. The 2022 finalist, who narrowly missed an Olympic medal in Paris last year, was outplayed 10-21, 16-21 in a 45-minute encounter.
Ranked world No. 15, Sen had won his last two encounters against Li, including at the Thomas Cup. However, this time, he struggled against his familiar Chinese rival from the junior class of 2018.
Feng dominated early, wrapping up the first game in just 17 minutes. Playing with composure and avoiding unnecessary risks, he surged to a 9-4 lead with a powerful smash and entered the break with an 11-4 advantage. Sen’s unsuccessful review left him trailing 4-12, but a brief resurgence saw him reduce the deficit to 7-12 with a sharp cross-court smash. Yet, Feng quickly adjusted, mixing up his pace and tactics to clinch the game.
Sen showed improvement in the second game but couldn’t match Feng’s consistency. Trailing 2-5 initially, Sen fought back with better net play, taking a 10-8 lead after a grueling 37-shot rally. He maintained a slender three-point lead at the break and fought hard in a tight contest, with a marathon 44-shot exchange tying the score at 14-all. However, Feng’s aggression proved decisive as he surged ahead 17-15 with a powerful smash.
At 15-18, Sen suffered finger bruises, spilling blood on the court and requiring medical attention, leading to a brief stoppage. However, the break did little to disrupt Feng’s momentum as he sealed the match with another thunderous smash.
Despite the loss, Sen’s campaign was commendable, highlighted by his stunning straight-game victory over defending champion Jonatan Christie, avenging his semifinal defeat to the Indonesian last year.
With this win, Feng advances to the semifinals to face the winner between top seed Shi Yu Qi and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
Meanwhile, India’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew due to injury, Malvika Bansod bowed out in women’s singles, and the mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also fell short.
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