India's Lakshya Sen faced a tough battle but ultimately fell short in the first round of the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Tuesday.
Sen, a 2021 World Championship bronze medallist, lost to China's Lu Guang Zu in a closely contested match. Despite winning the first game, Sen was defeated 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 after a grueling 70-minute encounter. This marks Sen's second early exit in consecutive tournaments, following his second-round loss at the Arctic Open in Finland last week.
On a brighter note for India, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the second round. Sindhu was leading 21-8, 13-7 when her opponent, Pai Yu Po from Chinese Taipei, retired due to injury.
However, it was a disappointing day for Malvika Bansod, who was unable to replicate her recent success from the China Open. She lost to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh 13-21, 12-21 in her opening round match.
Aakarshi Kashyap also exited the tournament after losing 13-21, 12-21 to Thailand’s seventh seed, Supanida Katethong.
In women’s doubles, the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, fought hard but were edged out 18-21, 22-24 by Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun in the first round.
Sen, playing in his second event since the Paris Olympics, started strongly, dominating the first game. He built a 20-11 lead in the opener and comfortably took the game. However, the momentum shifted in the second game as Lu narrowed the gap and eventually took a 19-18 lead. Sen briefly leveled the score but lost the next two points, allowing Lu to force a decider.
In the final game, Lu maintained control, pulling ahead to 14-9 as Sen struggled to keep up. Lu quickly secured six match points and won the match when Sen’s final shot went long, sealing the Indian’s early exit.