King Cup International Badminton: shuttler Lakshya Sen moves to semis
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Shenzhen/China: Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen moved into the semi-finals of the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open at Shenzhen, China, on Friday with a stellar performance, defeating Hong Kong China's Angus Ng Ka Long in three games.
Sen, who had narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, defeated his 30-year-old opponent 10-21, 21-13, 21-13. India’s 12th-ranked shuttler had a slow start but won the last two games with ease to beat Long for the first time in four attempts, PTI reported.
The 23-year-old from Almora, who ended a title drought with his triumph at the Syed Modi Super 300 tournament in Lucknow earlier this month, is among eight leading shuttlers in the world competing for the top prize in the three-day event.
The tournament is the brainchild of two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China.
Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and world number 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark are the highest-ranked players in the competition, which will not offer any ranking points as it is not part of the BWF calendar.
Other notable players include former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and Frenchman Alex Lanier. China is being represented by two 18-year-olds, Hu Zhe An and Wang Zi Jun.